Photo of Michael E. Holzapfel

Michael E. Holzapfel is of counsel in the Monmouth County, New Jersey, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. where he focuses primarily on ERISA and complex commercial litigation. Clients turn to Michael for his institutional knowledge of benefits administration, his procedural litigation acumen in both ERISA Single-Plaintiff and class-action lawsuits, and his ability to understand the intricacies of federal and state insurance, financial, and other applicable laws, and regulations.

Michael prides himself on understanding his clients’ business operations, benefits, and plan structures, with the objective of providing clients with both zealous representation and practical guidance. In the ERISA forum, Michael is a “go-to” lawyer for payers, plans, administrators, and fiduciaries across the country in benefits administration, coverage, and fiduciary disputes.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392 (June 24, 2022), overruling Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, has far-reaching consequences across many areas. This special report examines the potential impact Dobbs will have on employee benefits litigation.

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The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) aims to balance the dual policies of (1) ensuring fair and prompt enforcement of rights under employee benefit plans, and (2) encouraging the creation of such plans. To strike this balance, ERISA pairs comprehensive rules regarding fiduciary responsibility with federal causes of action that allow plan

The Eleventh Circuit recently affirmed an Alabama district court’s decision granting summary judgment in favor of Allstate Insurance Company in a consolidated ERISA class action challenging Allstate’s decision to stop paying premiums on retired employees’ life insurance policies. Klaas v. Allstate Ins. Co., 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 38473 (11th Cir. Dec. 28, 2021).

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In December 2020, Congress passed the “No Surprises Act” (NSA) as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. The NSA applies most commonly in situations where a patient receives out-of-network medical services from a provider to whom the patient had no meaningful opportunity to consent, as in the case of emergency room care