18 WTW agents quit in 44 minutes, walked next door to competitor Lockton — and allegedly took $5 million in clients

On August 19, 18 employees at Willis Towers Watson abruptly left their jobs and moved across the street to Lockton, a competitor, allegedly taking clients worth over $5 million annually. Willis Towers Watson, the global insurance brokerage, filed a lawsuit against Lockton, seeking a restraining order and injunction to prevent the company from servicing the accounts and soliciting other clients or employees.

The lawsuit claims the employee departures were orchestrated and demonstrate Lockton's attempt to "smash and grab" both customers and staff. However, experts argue that while the rapid resignations are unusual, coordinating employee departures alone does not constitute unlawful behavior. WTW alleges that Lockton and its employees breached fiduciary duties, contracts, non-solicitation, and non-compete agreements.

The legal outcome depends on whether WTW can prove violations of enforceable agreements or misuse of confidential information.