A Wichita brokerage says a departing advisor diverted its clients to a rival while still being paid by the firm. Now it's suing both.
IMA Financial Group filed suit on June 5, 2026, in federal court in Kansas against former employee benefits advisor Ryan Gino Giannini and competitor EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants. The complaint says Giannini quit "effective immediately" on May 5, 2026, and alleges he ignored the 30-day notice period his contract required.
That notice period is the heart of the case. IMA says Giannini signed a non-solicitation agreement on April 1, 2021, promising "at least thirty (30) days advance written notice" before leaving. During those 30 days, the agreement says, he would "continue to owe a fiduciary obligation and a duty of loyalty" to IMA - a duty to put the firm's interests first.
He did the opposite, IMA alleges. About a week before quitting, the filing says, Giannini called at least six clients, told them he was leaving, and gave them his personal contact details. According to the complaint, he told the clients he wished to keep in touch and that there was more to come soon.
EPIC, which IMA calls a direct competitor, is accused of inducing and supporting the moves. The complaint describes Giannini as "a covert agent for EPIC" who acted as "a double agent" after resigning - collecting pay from both firms, IMA alleges, while shifting accounts.
The tool for that shift, familiar to any brokerage, is the broker of record letter, which tells a carrier who controls a client's coverage. IMA says the change notices came fast. On May 21, 2026, "the floodgates opened," the filing says, with five clients switching in one day. One told IMA, according to the complaint: "we have switched brokers to Epic (with Gino)."
IMA says it lost ten clients during the notice period - business it describes as worth "hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost annual revenue," and many of them higher-revenue accounts.
Against EPIC, IMA claims tortious interference, saying it notified the firm of Giannini's contract on May 13, 2026, and that EPIC's lawyers "acknowledged awareness of the Agreement" days later but kept him on. IMA also alleges EPIC agreed to cover Giannini's legal exposure, and that the two share a law firm.
IMA's four counts include breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, and a "faithless servant" claim seeking to recover the pay Giannini drew during what IMA calls his period of disloyalty. It wants damages, an injunction, and a jury trial.
None of this has been tested in court. Giannini and EPIC have not filed a response, and no court has ruled on any of IMA's claims.
