Howden US faces another lawsuit from a rival broker over a group of newly hired employees. Willis Towers Watson Northeast claims former members of its marine insurance team breached loyalty duties and post-employment contractual obligations.
WTWNE filed the lawsuit on May 19 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The Broward County-based WTW unit says the former employees specialized in insurance broking for high-net-worth owners and managers of high-end yachts.
The complaint alleges the team resigned to join Howden US as part of what WTWNE describes as Howden’s pattern of hiring entire teams from other brokerage firms. WTWNE claims those employees violated duties of loyalty while still employed and later breached restrictive covenants.
The lawsuit names Nancy Poppe, Diana Fabozzi, Jasmyn Tomlinson, Kathleen Shea, and Christel Lynn Lincoln as defendants. WTWNE is seeking damages, along with preliminary and permanent injunctions against the group.
Poppe previously served as senior director of broking at WTWNE. According to the lawsuit, she now works at Howden US as practice head of yachts and chair of Howden superyachts.
Poppe resigned from WTWNE on Dec. 22, 2025. The complaint alleges she contacted members of her team before resigning, and Lincoln also resigned on the same date.
WTWNE claims Poppe sent an email to clients announcing her resignation. The company alleges the email was intended to solicit client business for Howden.
Fabozzi, Shea, and Tomlinson resigned from WTWNE early this year. Another team member, Alexandra Walker, also resigned, though she is not named as a defendant.
The lawsuit alleges members of the group solicited WTWNE clients. WTWNE points to broker-of-record letters appointing Howden as the new broker for several clients.
WTWNE says it lost at least six clients to Howden US. The broker alleges the annual revenue loss from those accounts reaches hundreds of thousands of dollars.
