Preliminary injunction reached in Ollis/Akers/Arney lawsuit against former employee

Karen Shannon was sued earlier this month by Ollis/Akers/Arney.

A lawsuit filed this month by Ollis/Akers/Arney against a former employee has resulted in a preliminary injunction reached in Greene County Circuit Court.

In the original petition filed Sept. 2, Ollis/Akers/Arney alleges Karen Shannon, the company's former vice president of business consulting and chief human resources officer, took company property and used it to establish a competing business. The Sept. 12 preliminary injunction order, which was signed by attorneys for the plaintiff and defendants, states that Shannon would return all Ollis/Akers/Arney property, refrain from soliciting the company's clients and making defamatory comments about the company, and agree to a third-party forensic digital examination to discover any further information.

"This preliminary injunction will remain in effect until the final resolution of this case or until such time as it dissolved or amended upon further order of the court," the order reads. "The court, being advised in the premises and having reviewed the verified application filed by plaintiff in its petition, finds plaintiff’s application for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction well taken."

Douglas, Haun & Heidemann PC's Craig Heidemann, who is representing Ollis/Akers/Arney in the case, provided a statement to Springfield Business Journal this morning.

“Our law firm filed this lawsuit to protect our client’s proprietary information and ensure fair competition,” the statement reads. “Ollis takes seriously its obligation to safeguard the resources and trust of its clients and its team. As an employee-owned firm, Ollis is committed to protecting the value its employee-owners have built together. The swift entry of a preliminary injunction speaks to the merits of our claims.”

Shannon's counsel, listed in court records as Isaac Keppler and Caroline Gurney with Colantuono Guinn Keppler LLC, did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

The 11-count original petition in the lawsuit alleges Shannon formed Shannon Human Resources Consulting shortly after exiting Ollis/Akers/Arney in June.

"Shannon represented to OAA that she was retiring and would be traveling abroad. OAA had a retirement party to wish Shannon well in her retirement," the lawsuit reads. "Within weeks of her retirement, she formed SHR to compete directly with OAA."

Further, Shannon allegedly misappropriated proprietary and confidential information from Ollis/Akers/Arney and sought to conceal said activity by deleting emails, forwarding documents to her personal email address, printing company records and physically removing training materials from the company's office, according to the lawsuit.

Shannon's LinkedIn profile indicates she worked at Ollis/Akers/Arney for 13 years and that she started as principal and founder of Shannon Human Resources Consulting in August.

Ollis/Akers/Arney provides insurance, risk management, employee benefits, human resources consulting and health and wellness initiatives, according to past reporting. The firm, founded in 1885, reported 68 employees and $192.4 million in managed premiums for Springfield Business Journal's 2025 Economic Impact Awards this summer.