AON Sues Marsh & McLennan For Employee Raid and Trade Secrets Misappropriation

BusinessWeek is reporting that a unit of Aon Corp., the world’s largest insurance broker, sued its closest rival, accusing Marsh & McLennan Cos. of seeking to steal trade secrets, poach clients and “rob Aon of its key employees.”

Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc., whose parent is based in Chicago, filed a complaint today in Manhattan federal court against New York-based Marsh & McLennan and three ex-employees who recently left the firm.

Marsh & McLennan stole business “through the patently illegal downloading of Aon proprietary trade secret information, unlawful disclosures of Aon trade secrets, and other unfair and unlawful practices -- including soliciting Aon business before the employees left Aon’s employ,” Aon alleges. Marsh & McLennan’s goal is to obtain a “pre-packaged book of business,” according to the complaint.

Aon claims it already has lost business due to the employee departures. The amount it claims to have lost is redacted from the complaint.

We'll keep an eye on this one for you.