Insurance broker Aon won anotherround in its ongoing dispute with Alliant Insurance Services Inc.over the poaching of business and employees, whichallegedly did serious harm to Aon’s Construction ServicesGroup.

Aon won a preliminary injunction against Newport Beach,Calif.-based Alliant in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattanon Dec. 20, barring former Aon employee Michael Cusack and Alliantfrom soliciting business from, or entering into any business with,Aon customers with whom any former Aon employees now with Allianthad worked. It also bars Alliant from soliciting any AonConstruction Services employees to come to work for thecompany.

In his decision, Justice Bernard J. Fried foundCusack—and others—violated their non-compete agreements when theyleft Aon and joined Alliant.

The judge says Cusack, who worked in the Northeast, had to knowthat executives in Aon’s Construction Services Group werenegotiating with Alliant and that they would all be leaving Aon atthe same time.

Fried says that if the case should go to trial, Aon is likely tosucceed in its claim that Cusack breached an employment agreementand other related standards of his employment. Aon is also likelyto succeed in its claim that Cusack breached his non-competeagreement, the judge added.

However, Fried said there is no evidence that Cusack or otheremployees absconded with any company trade secrets.

On the day Cusack and Peter Arkley, former CEO of AonConstruction Services Group, departed, 15 Aon clients moved theirbusiness to Alliant, and 38 employees in the group left to joinAlliant.