Marsh & McLennan Agency, LLC (MMA) is taking a direct competitor and a former top executive to court, alleging a coordinated raid on clients, employees, and confidential business data in the cut-throat world of commercial insurance brokerage.
In a complaint filed October 10, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, MMA claims that Granite Insurance Agency, Inc. and Milton Ray Tedder, Jr. - a longtime producer and manager in MMA’s Asheville office - conspired to siphon off business and talent as MMA was finalizing its acquisition of McGriff Insurance Services. MMA alleges that Tedder, after announcing his retirement in late 2024, immediately resurfaced at Granite as Vice President of Agency Development and began soliciting clients and employees he had worked with during his years at McGriff and MMA.
The complaint outlines a series of events that MMA says began even before Tedder’s official departure. According to the filing, Tedder was still on MMA’s payroll when he started contacting clients about his move to Granite. MMA alleges that on November 14, 2024, Tedder sent an Excel spreadsheet from his company email to his personal account, containing at least 50 business client names, client codes, effective dates, and revenue data. MMA contends that this confidential information gave Granite a roadmap to target the most valuable accounts and accelerate its expansion in North Carolina.
MMA claims that the impact was immediate and severe. On the same day Tedder’s employment ended, MMA received a broker of record (BOR) notice from a long-term client, signaling that the account was moving to Granite. Over the following months, MMA says it began receiving additional BORs from client accounts directly tied to Tedder, with the accounts moving to Granite as the new broker of record. The complaint alleges that, from late September 2024 through the present, MMA lost over 21 client accounts to Granite, with the loss of revenue from the diversion of these clients exceeding $1 million in annually recurring revenue. MMA alleges that Granite’s CEO, Cameron Annas, had a longstanding relationship with Tedder and recruited him with the intent to gain access to MMA’s confidential business information and client base.
The legal filing accuses Tedder and Granite of violating restrictive covenants in Tedder’s employment agreements, which included a two-year prohibition on soliciting MMA clients and employees and a perpetual ban on disclosing or using confidential information. MMA also alleges that Tedder’s actions breached the North Carolina Trade Secrets Protection Act and the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act, as well as his fiduciary duties to MMA. The complaint describes a pattern of behavior, including the alleged use of other former MMA employees to contact and solicit clients, and claims that Granite’s expansion in Asheville was facilitated by the solicitation of MMA clients with whom Tedder had worked.
MMA is seeking damages in excess of $1 million, as well as injunctive relief to prevent further solicitation of its clients and employees. The company argues that the loss of key accounts and confidential information has caused lasting harm to its business, reputation, and competitive standing in the insurance brokerage market.
It is important to note that these are allegations only, as set out in MMA’s complaint. No court has made findings of fact or ruled on liability, and the case remains at an early stage.
