Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

Kansas City Advisory Firms Agree to $25.5 Million Settlement Over No-Poach Allegations

Posted on September 3rd, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Kansas City Advisory Firms Agree to $25.5 Million Settlement Over No-Poach Allegations

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

Mariner Wealth Advisors, along with two other Kansas City-area firms, has agreed to a $25.5 million class action settlement over allegations that they illegally agreed not to solicit each other’s advisors.

As reported by AdvisorHub, the lawsuit, filed in February 2024 in federal court in Kansas, was brought by former and current employees of Mariner’s former subsidiary, TortoiseEcofin. The class includes non-executive employees of Mariner, Tortoise, and American Century between 2012 and 2020.

Plaintiffs allege they discovered the arrangement only after receiving Department of Justice (DOJ) notices in 2023. AdvisorHub reports that the notices stemmed from earlier DOJ settlements in which Mariner and American Century admitted to suppressing competition and wage growth through a no-poaching agreement between 2014 and 2018.

The DOJ required the firms to create $2.5 million victim compensation funds and notify affected employees.

Although the defendants denied liability in the civil case, they agreed to the settlement “to avoid the further risk, expenses, inconvenience, and distraction of burdensome and protracted litigation,” according to court filings. A spokesperson for American Century stated the firm is “glad to be in the process of resolving this matter” and remains committed to “fair and honest competition in compliance with all laws and regulations.” According to AdvisorHub, the settlement awaits approval by a federal judge.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

Fantastic news!!!!  Your professionalism, support and expertise were greatly appreciated.  You made a difficult situation much more bearable.

Marci M.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1790960250 Law
October 2, 2026
FINRA Arbitrators Award Schwab Client $1.34 Million in Cryptocurrency Scam Dispute

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Dispute Resolution Services arbitration panel awarded nearly $1.34 million in compensatory damages to a Charles Schwab & Co.

1790867615 Law
October 1, 2026
Prosecutors Target Multimillion-Dollar Investment Schemes Involving Promissory Notes

Federal prosecutors recently pursued two investment fraud cases involving promissory notes that caused combined investor losses exceeding $25 million.

1790789328 Law
September 30, 2026
SEC Approves FINRA Overhaul of Outside Business Activity Rules

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved FINRA's long-awaited overhaul of the rules governing outside business activities and private securities transactions by financial advisors.