Lloyd's broker PYV is suing a number of former employees over claims that they passed confidential information to their new employer.

PYV has issued writs against Simon Lovat, Amit Karia, Tony Patterson, and Kathryn Wale, who worked in its solicitors' professional indemnity department. It alleges that they knowingly broke the conditions of their employment.

The four brokers are accused of actively seeking to utilise confidential information gained from PYV to establish a line of business with CRS Group, their new employer. PYV is also taking legal action against CRS Group.

PYV alleges that CRS "actively and knowingly" encouraged the four brokers to obtain and make use of the confidential information, "while concurrently encouraging them to establish contact with clients of PYV with a view to soliciting their business to the benefit of CRS".

Sources close to PYV claim the four attempted to solicit PYV clients prior to resigning in May and were put on gardening leave.

A CRS Group spokesman said: "We welcome the opportunity to resolve this through the legal process."

Last week it emerged that Willis has also issued legal proceedings against two former employees who are alleged to have passed on confidential information to rival Marsh.

Earlier this month Insurance Times reported that Towergate had launched proceedings against 14 former employees who had joined Bob Beckett's broker, Insurance Risk Solutions, with the specific intention of soliciting Towergate clients.

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