Space War: Marsh Sues Willis Over Aviation Insurance Hires Soliciting Clients

Insurance broker Marsh USA is asking a New York court to stop several former employees and rival Willis Towers Watson from preparing to steal its aviation and space insurance clients using confidential information.

In a lawsuit filed in New York state court, Marsh alleges that WTW along with Garrett Hanrahan, Marsh’s outgoing global head of Aviation and Space Practice, and John Andrews, the outgoing managing director of the same practice group, have conspired to solicit a significant number of the brokers and clients in Marsh’s aviation group to move their practice or accounts to WTW.

The lawsuit maintains that in late 2024 or early 2025, Hanrahan “concocted a plan” with John Rooley—his former colleague and current CEO of WTW’s Global Aviation and Space Practice—to recruit 30 to 40 key members of Marsh’s Aviation and Space Practice in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. Once at WTW, the plan calls for these employees to then immediately solicit their clients to shift business from Marsh to WTW, according to Marsh.

According to the complaint, Rooley told Marsh employees concerned about being sued for violating employment agreements that WTW would indemnify them and try to settle any legal actions for approximately two times the client revenue that WTW and the Marsh employees would solicit. “In short, WTW offered the targeted employees a blank check to disregard their restrictions,” the complaint says.

With the plan in place, Hanrahan resigned on April 28, 2025, effective May 12, 2025, and since then, five more Marsh employees have resigned their employment and advised they will join WTW—including Steve Kisor, Claudia Shipman, Elizabeth O’Raidy, and John Andrews. Marsh claims that it is aware that Hanrahan and Rooley have contacted more than a dozen other senior members of the Marsh aviation practice hoping to induce them to join WTW.

Marsh is bringing claims for breach of contract, breach of duty of loyalty, civil conspiracy, tortious interference, and aiding and abetting.

Marsh and parent Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. are asking the Supreme Court of the County of New York for temporary restraining orders and permanent injunctions against the solicitation of more employees and the solicitation of clients, as well as against violations of employment agreements including confidentiality, employee non-solicitation, and customer non-solicitation agreements.

Marsh is also seeking damages. Marsh says it has suffered and will continue to suffer “irreparable” harm if the alleged violations are not enjoined. It cites loss of revenues, resources spent on employee education and building client goodwill, employee and institutional knowledge, trade secrets, and cross-selling opportunities.

WTW has not yet responded to an Insurance Journal request for comment.

Topics Lawsuits Aviation