Marsh USA has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accusing four former Florida-based executives of orchestrating a large-scale employee and client defection to Howden US Services, a newcomer aiming to establish a U.S. presence.
According to the complaint, the alleged scheme began in early 2025, when Howden attempted to enter the U.S. market by acquiring Risk Strategies.
After that effort failed, Howden allegedly shifted its strategy to hiring top personnel and acquiring clients directly from Marsh and its affiliates (see TOP Global Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers).
The suit names Michael Parrish, Marsh’s Florida zone leader, along with Giselle Lugones, Robert Lynn, and Julie Layton. Lugones and Lynn held regional sales leadership roles, while Layton oversaw risk management out of Marsh’s Miami office, according to BestWire.
Marsh claims Parrish collaborated with Howden to form Howden US Services and Howden US Specialty in Delaware by March 2025. Parrish was allegedly positioned to serve as CEO of the new venture.
The company says Parrish then recruited Lugones, Lynn, and Layton to quietly solicit other Marsh employees over several months.
On July 21, Marsh says the plan materialized in a wave of approximately 90 coordinated resignations, which amounted to the majority of its Florida workforce.
The complaint notes that none of these employees applied, interviewed, or submitted résumés to Howden. “Their job offers arrived without them even lifting a finger,” Marsh alleges.
Client movement followed almost immediately. Marsh claims it received multiple account transfer notices within hours of the resignations—each from clients previously managed by the defendants.
Marsh asserts these departures happened before Howden’s U.S. business was fully operational and argues that clients were only willing to move due to unauthorized assurances that the defecting staff would be able to continue servicing their accounts at Howden.
The insurer is seeking damages, return of compensation paid to the defendants, injunctive relief, and confirmation that the individuals breached nonsolicitation and nondisclosure agreements while still employed at Marsh.
