London-based Willis Towers Watson seeks to block servicing of transferred contractor and owner accounts
Willis Towers Watson sued rival insurance broker Lockton Aug. 24 after 18 members of the former’s construction practice resigned within 44 minutes and joined the competitor, alleging that 13 client accounts began moving immediately afterward.
The lawsuit, filed in Suffolk County Superior Court in Massachusetts, involves a specialized Willis Towers Watson team providing insurance and risk-management services to construction companies nationwide. The dispute could also affect contractors and owners that followed their brokers to Lockton.
London-based Willis Towers Watson seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against both Kansas City, Mo.,-based Lockton and the former employees, asking the court to bar further solicitation and restrict Lockton from servicing certain transferred accounts.
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Suffolk County Superior Court
Complaint for Injunctive Relief
“In other words, the clients Lockton stole should be told that they need to go back to WTW or to another competitor,” Willis Towers Watson argues in its filing. “Lockton should not be allowed to profit from its unlawful conduct.”
Client Accounts Follow Departing Brokers
The departures began at 8:02 a.m. Aug. 19 when Michael Scott, a senior leader in Willis Towers Watson’s New England construction practice, resigned effective immediately, according to the company filing.
By 8:46 a.m., the other 17 defendants had resigned. Among them was Thomas Grandmaison, Willis Towers Watson chief client officer for construction, who has previously spoken with ENR about construction insurance issues.
Most members of the group worked in Boston, while several worked in Pennsylvania or Alabama and reported to the construction team’s leadership.
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Thomas Grandmaison, most recently Willis Towers Watson chief client officer for construction, spoke with ENR in 2021 about insurance challenges facing delayed construction projects. He was among 18 company brokers who resigned Aug. 19 and joined Lockton.
Photo courtesy WTW
By Aug. 21, Willis Towers Watson says it had received broker-of-record letters from five clients transferring their business to Lockton and carrier notifications involving eight other accounts that had designated new brokers. Four of the broker-of-record letters were dated Aug. 19—the day the employees resigned.
The 13 relationships represented more than $5 million in annual revenue to Willis Towers Watson, according to the filing. That amounts to about 0.3% of the $1.55 billion in revenue that Willis Towers Watson’s North American Risk & Broking business generated in 2025. The clients are not identified.
Willis Towers Watson alleges the employees joined Lockton in violation of employment agreements requiring 15 days’ notice and restricting solicitation or servicing of certain of its clients for 12 or 24 months.
Willis Towers Watson also alleges Scott and Grandmaison breached fiduciary duties and that Lockton aided the alleged breaches and interfered with employee agreements. The allegations have not been adjudicated.
As evidence that the departures were planned in advance, Willis Towers Watson alleges Scott had earlier disclosed details of a compensation package Lockton offered him while negotiating with his then-current firm over compensation for himself and his team. Willis Towers Watson also says Lockton’s offer to Scott included a 25% salary increase, a $500,000 annual bonus guaranteed for five years and additional production incentives.
Lockton declined to comment on the litigation. Willis Towers Watson also has declined comment beyond its court filings.
Construction Broker Moves Have Precedent
Mass departures of construction brokers have triggered litigation before. ENR reported in 2011 that about 100 construction accounts representing roughly $20 million in annual revenue followed two senior Aon construction insurance executives to Alliant, with dozens of Aon employees eventually making the same move. The resulting litigation involved contractor clients including Turner Construction and Tutor Perini.
Grandmaison and Scott were themselves previously part of another major move of construction insurance brokers. They joined Willis Towers Watson from Aon in 2022 with other members of a 10-person construction team. Grandmaison previously served as chief broking officer for Aon’s construction xervices group.
Willis Towers Watson also points to a 2019 case in which Lockton sought court protection after 26 employees left its Denver operation for a competitor.
Willis Towers Watson argues that Lockton obtained restrictions in that case similar to those the London broker now seeks in Massachusetts, including preventing the competing broker from retaining certain client business transferred following the employee departures.
The court had not ruled on Willis Towers Watson’s request for emergency relief as of Aug. 25.
