Alliant Insurance Services has become the latest broker to take legal action against upstart rival Howden US, accusing the newcomer of deploying a brazen 'smash-and-grab' playbook to lure entire teams away from competing firms—an aggressive tactic that’s now igniting a high-stakes courtroom showdown.
The lawsuit also calls out three former Alliant employees—Jessie Guerrero, Christina Murphy, and Sunnie Fairburn—key players from the company’s Texas-based energy and marine team whose departures now sit at the center of the escalating legal fight.
In filings submitted to Harris County state court, Alliant alleges that Howden US engineered the trio’s coordinated exits, calling it a calculated move that fits a broader, “nefarious” playbook aimed at rival brokers. The complaint further claims the former employees breached their contracts by violating restrictions on competition and mishandling trade secrets and confidential information.
Launched in August as Howden’s new U.S. retail broking arm under CEO Mike Parrish, Howden US is already facing a wave of lawsuits from industry heavyweights including Aon, Marsh, WTW, and Brown & Brown. Marsh alone has filed multiple actions—one targeting Parrish and several former colleagues, and another aimed at a separate group of ex-employees who have since landed at Howden US—underscoring just how heated the battle has become.
Alliant says it had reason to believe Guerrero was eyeing a move to Howden, a claim he allegedly denied when questioned. Still, on December 2, 2025, Guerrero resigned alongside Murphy and Fairburn. The company now alleges the trio accessed, renamed, deleted, and even screenshot hundreds of client-related files before leaving—actions that have become a central flashpoint in the dispute.
Alliant further claims the fallout went beyond employee departures, alleging that clients began defecting to rival brokers amid industry rumors that its energy property team had been gutted. The company says it believes the defendants fueled those rumors—and points to at least one instance in which a defendant allegedly tried to poach an Alliant employee—intensifying the stakes of the legal battle.
A judge granted Alliant’s request for a temporary restraining order last week, barring Guerrero, Murphy, Fairburn, and Howden US from using any of Alliant’s confidential information. The case now moves to a critical next phase, with a court hearing set for January 16.
Around this time last year, a federal judge extended an order barring three Alliant Insurance Services employees from soliciting or contacting any current Marsh & McLennan Agency clients. At the heart of that case, MMA accused Alliant of masterminding a coordinated effort to lure away its employees and siphon off its clients—allegations that echoed across the industry.
