Alliant Files Lawsuit Against Howden US for Alleged ‘Smash-and-Grab’ Poaching Practices
Alliant Insurance Services has recently filed a lawsuit against its new competitor, Howden US, alleging that Howden is employing a “smash-and-grab” strategy to poach teams from other brokers. This legal action highlights the growing tensions in the insurance brokerage industry as firms vie for talent and market share.
The lawsuit specifically names three former employees—Jessie Guerrero, Christina Murphy, and Sunnie Fairburn—who were part of Alliant’s energy and marine team based in Texas. According to court documents filed in Harris County, Alliant claims that Howden US orchestrated a series of resignations by these individuals, employing tactics that align with a broader strategy aimed at undermining other brokerage firms.
Alliant contends that the former employees breached their employment contracts, which included clauses related to competition, trade secrets, and the handling of confidential information. The allegations suggest that Guerrero, Murphy, and Fairburn accessed, renamed, deleted, and took screenshots of hundreds of client-related files before their departure.
Howden US, which launched its U.S. retail broking business in August under the leadership of CEO Mike Parrish, is not only facing Alliant’s lawsuit but is also being targeted by other major brokers, including Aon, Marsh, WTW, and Brown & Brown. Notably, Marsh has filed two separate lawsuits: one against Parrish and several other former employees, and another against a different group of ex-employees who have joined Howden US.
Related: Brown & Brown Files Suit Over Alleged Howden Poaching of 200+ Employees | Aon Adds to List of Brokers Suing Howden US for Alleged Poaching, Theft
Alliant claims that it had suspicions about Guerrero considering a position with Howden, although he denied such intentions when confronted. Despite this, Guerrero, along with Murphy and Fairburn, resigned on December 2, 2025. The court has since granted Alliant a temporary restraining order to prevent the trio and Howden US from utilizing any confidential information belonging to Alliant. A hearing is set for January 16 to further address these allegations.
This situation is reminiscent of a case from the previous year, where a federal judge extended an order that barred three Alliant employees from soliciting or contacting any current clients of Marsh & McLennan Agency. In that instance, MMA accused Alliant of orchestrating a scheme to lure away its employees and solicit its clients.
Related: Judge Extends Ban on Alliant Employees Soliciting Marsh Agency’s Customers
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Interested in Lawsuits?
Get automatic alerts for this topic.
Alliant Insurance Services has recently filed a lawsuit against its new competitor, Howden US, alleging that Howden is employing a “smash-and-grab” strategy to poach teams from other brokers. This legal action highlights the growing tensions in the insurance brokerage industry as firms vie for talent and market share.
The lawsuit specifically names three former employees—Jessie Guerrero, Christina Murphy, and Sunnie Fairburn—who were part of Alliant’s energy and marine team based in Texas. According to court documents filed in Harris County, Alliant claims that Howden US orchestrated a series of resignations by these individuals, employing tactics that align with a broader strategy aimed at undermining other brokerage firms.
Alliant contends that the former employees breached their employment contracts, which included clauses related to competition, trade secrets, and the handling of confidential information. The allegations suggest that Guerrero, Murphy, and Fairburn accessed, renamed, deleted, and took screenshots of hundreds of client-related files before their departure.
Howden US, which launched its U.S. retail broking business in August under the leadership of CEO Mike Parrish, is not only facing Alliant’s lawsuit but is also being targeted by other major brokers, including Aon, Marsh, WTW, and Brown & Brown. Notably, Marsh has filed two separate lawsuits: one against Parrish and several other former employees, and another against a different group of ex-employees who have joined Howden US.
Related: Brown & Brown Files Suit Over Alleged Howden Poaching of 200+ Employees | Aon Adds to List of Brokers Suing Howden US for Alleged Poaching, Theft
Alliant claims that it had suspicions about Guerrero considering a position with Howden, although he denied such intentions when confronted. Despite this, Guerrero, along with Murphy and Fairburn, resigned on December 2, 2025. The court has since granted Alliant a temporary restraining order to prevent the trio and Howden US from utilizing any confidential information belonging to Alliant. A hearing is set for January 16 to further address these allegations.
This situation is reminiscent of a case from the previous year, where a federal judge extended an order that barred three Alliant employees from soliciting or contacting any current clients of Marsh & McLennan Agency. In that instance, MMA accused Alliant of orchestrating a scheme to lure away its employees and solicit its clients.
Related: Judge Extends Ban on Alliant Employees Soliciting Marsh Agency’s Customers
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Interested in Lawsuits?
Get automatic alerts for this topic.
