Insurance broker Marsh USA has taken legal action against former employees and competitor Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in a New York court. Marsh claims that these individuals are plotting to lure away its aviation and space insurance clients using confidential information.
In its lawsuit, Marsh accuses WTW, along with Garrett Hanrahan and John Andrews—both former leaders in Marsh’s Aviation and Space Practice—of conspiring to persuade a large number of brokers and clients to switch their business to WTW. Marsh alleges that Hanrahan devised a plan with John Rooley, the current CEO of WTW’s Global Aviation and Space Practice, to recruit between 30 to 40 key members from Marsh’s team across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Once these employees join WTW, they would immediately reach out to their existing clients to encourage them to move their accounts.
The lawsuit reveals that Rooley assured Marsh employees worried about potential legal repercussions that WTW would cover any lawsuits and settle them for double the revenue generated from the clients they solicited. Marsh describes this as WTW offering a “blank check” to entice employees to ignore their contractual obligations.
Hanrahan resigned from Marsh on April 28, 2025, and his departure triggered a wave of resignations. Since then, five other employees, including Andrews, have left Marsh to join WTW. Marsh believes that Hanrahan and Rooley have also contacted many other senior members of its aviation practice in an effort to recruit them.
Marsh is seeking various legal remedies, including temporary restraining orders and permanent injunctions to stop the solicitation of its employees and clients. They are also pursuing damages, arguing that the alleged actions could cause "irreparable" harm to their business. Marsh cites potential loss of revenue, wasted resources on employee training, and the risk of losing valuable client relationships and trade secrets.
WTW has not commented on the lawsuit.