Lockton Cos. LLC sued units of Willis Towers Watson PLC and two of its former producers in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, charging the producers broke termination agreements when they abruptly resigned to join the rival brokerage.
The lawsuit, Lockton Cos., LLC et al. v. Willis Towers Watson US LLC et al, alleges that Kenneth Gould and Frank Scardino violated their 30-day notice of termination requirement and non-disclosure and non-solicitation obligations when, instead of attending a Lockton annual form, they quit Lockton, “effective immediately.”
Both producers were based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
It is the second time within a week that Lockton has sued producers who left the brokerage during its annual forum.
The lawsuit says that two Lockton associates in Texas who worked closely with Mr. Scardino have also resigned.
The lawsuit charges all defendants with misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference with the plaintiff’s prospective economic advantage/prospective business relationships, civil conspiracy, unfair competition and unjust enrichment; Mr. Gould and Mr. Scardino with breach of contract; and WTW with tortious interference with contract.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction barring Mr. Gould and Mr. Scardino from joining Willis until the 30-day notice period expires and from using Lockton’s confidential information, and unspecified damages, among other things.
Spokespeople for WTW and Lockton had no comment.
