Fired worker alleges employer and other companies tried to restrain his sales tactics

In a recent case, a man alleged that a title insurance company terminated him for trying to actively compete with a similar company for clients in the period leading up to a proposed merger between the two companies.

The plaintiff in the case was a senior account executive at Stewart Title Guaranty Company for 15 years. In 2014, Chicago Title – a subsidiary wholly owned by Fidelity National Financial, Inc. – recruited him as vice president for energy services, supposedly for the purpose of competing with Stewart’s title business in renewable energy.

In March 2018, a proposed merger between Fidelity and Stewart was announced, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. The plaintiff’s supervisor at Chicago Title told him that, after the merger, Stewart would likely have to follow Chicago/Fidelity’s tighter underwriting guidelines.

The plaintiff considered this an opportunity because he believed that adopting stricter standards would end Stewart’s competitive advantage and would enable him to convince his old contacts to choose Chicago. He attempted to lure Stewart’s clients by informing them about the tentative merger and about the potential underwriting issues.

According to the plaintiff, Chicago Title responded with hostility to his efforts and told him to stop telling Stewart’s clients about the anticipated merger. However, the plaintiff continued what he was doing, with his...

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