Judge temporarily bars Alliant from soliciting Aon employees, clients

CHICAGO—Aon Corp. has won a temporary retraining order barring several former executives in its construction services unit and their new employer—Alliant Insurance Services Inc.—from soliciting Aon employees and clients for Alliant.

In a chancery action filed last week in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, Aon Risk Services Cos. Inc. and Aon Risk Insurance Services West Inc. alleged that the former executives violated their employment agreements with Aon when they joined Alliant.

The group includes Peter Arkley, who resigned as chairman and CEO of Aon's construction services group to head Alliant's construction practice.

Aon holds that the former executives conspired with Newport Beach, Calif.-based Alliant to solicit at least 40 other employees of Aon's construction services group to quit Aon and join Alliant. The complaint also alleges that the defendants poached Aon clients when they moved to Alliant.

Certain Aon clients excepted

Judge Peter Flynn granted Aon's request for the temporary restraining order Friday. The order, however, does not ban the defendants from accepting business “from any Aon client which they did not solicit and which defendents originally brought to Aon,” according to the order.

“We are pleased with the ruling and look forward to presenting our case for a permanent injunction in an upcoming hearing yet to be scheduled,” an Aon spokesman said in an email.