Mariner Wealth Advisors is suing Savvy Advisors after a number of advisors left for the latter agency. Mariner claims the trio of former workers took commerce secrets and techniques with them.
In its go well with filed in Ohio federal court docket this week, Mariner claimed former workers Brad Morgan, Nate Kunkel and Tim Gerard, with the assistance of Savvy, stole Mariner’s “confidential buyer info, buyer lists and buyer contact info” and solicited Mariner prospects, ensuing within the agency shedding $60 million in managed belongings.
In line with the criticism, Morgan had been employed at Mariner since 2014 (later changing into an fairness proprietor within the agency), whereas Kunkel and Gerard got here on board in 2018. Morgan, Kunkel and Gerard specialised in working with Proctor & Gamble workers primarily based in Cincinnati (although not solely).
The advisors had entry to Mariner’s consumer info, together with their funding portfolios, threat appetites and data that Mariner believed opponents would wish to entry to lure shoppers away from the agency.
One in all these opponents was Savvy, the affiliated RIA for New York-based fintech Savvy Wealth. The agency managed roughly $401 million as of March 31, and Savvy Wealth CEO Ritik Malhorta was certainly one of WealthManagement.com’s “Ten to Watch” for 2024. The agency was based in 2022 and, in Mariner’s view, has a development technique “centered on recruiting established wealth managers with present books of enterprise,” in accordance with the criticism.
“Certainly, relatively than domesticate prospects via truthful competitors, Savvy seeks out skilled wealth managers from throughout the nation to poach their books of enterprise from opponents,” the criticism reads. “Savvy does this with out regard to contractual obligations these wealth managers owe to their employers.”
As proof Savvy meant to focus on Mariner, the latter agency claims Savvy lately closed a job posting primarily based in Mariner’s headquarters of Overland Park, Kan., saying new workers would transition a minimal $15 million AUM ebook of enterprise to Savvy.
Within the criticism, Mariner additionally claims Savvy meant to focus on Proctor & Gamble workers and retirees (together with these serviced by Mariner). Across the time when Savvy recruited the Mariner workers, it added a web page on its web site soliciting enterprise from shoppers affiliated with Proctor & Gamble.
In line with Mariner, Morgan had been planning his defection since April 2024 regardless of signing a brand new non-solicitation and confidentiality settlement that month (Mariner claimed all three advisors had signed such agreements).
Morgan later persuaded Kunkel and Gerard to affix him at Savvy, and he allegedly spent all of Could 11 forwarding appointments and data from his Mariner e mail account to a private account. Moreover, Mariner accused Savvy of urging Kunkel to interrupt an settlement that he give 90 days of discover earlier than quitting.
“(Savvy) needed Kunkel to instantly be part of Savvy for (the defendants) to start soliciting and poaching Mariner’s prospects from Mariner and direct them to a well-known face at Savvy,” the criticism learn.
Representatives from Savvy and Mariner didn’t reply to requests for remark previous to publication.
The day after Mariner filed its go well with, Savvy introduced that Kunkel, together with three different advisors primarily based in Sioux Metropolis, Iowa, Los Angeles and Tampa, would be part of the corporate.
The accusations in Mariner’s criticism broadly parallel these Edelman Monetary Engines makes in its lawsuit in opposition to Mariner Wealth, which manages greater than $81 billion in consumer belongings. Earlier this week, a federal decide dismissed a few of Edelman’s claims however allowed fees of misappropriation and conspiracy to stay in place because the trial progressed.
