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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Photo of René E. Thorne René E. Thorne

René E. Thorne is co-leader of the firm’s ERISA Complex Litigation group, and is a principal in the New Orleans, Louisiana office of Jackson Lewis P.C. René started the New Orleans office and was the managing principal for ten years.

Her national practice…

René E. Thorne is co-leader of the firm’s ERISA Complex Litigation group, and is a principal in the New Orleans, Louisiana office of Jackson Lewis P.C. René started the New Orleans office and was the managing principal for ten years.

Her national practice covers the full range of complex benefit litigation matters, including representation of employers, plans, plan fiduciaries, third party administrators, and trustees. In that regard, she has handled numerous ERISA class actions alleging breach of fiduciary duty; breach of the duty of loyalty; prohibited transactions; 401(k) plan asset performance, fees, and expense issues; defined benefit plan asset issues, accrual issues, and cut-back issues; cash balance plan issues; ESOP litigation; fiduciary misrepresentation claims; sophisticated preemption issues; executive compensation litigation, both pension and welfare claims; retiree rights litigation; severance plan claims; Section 510 cases; and complex benefit claim cases.

During the course of her national practice, she has been admitted pro hac vice in courts across the country, including Alabama, the District of Columbia, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

René also has been retained in complex ERISA breach of fiduciary duty, prohibited transaction, and cash balance cases. René has been qualified and testified on ERISA matters in federal court.

René is active on the Employee Benefits Subcommittee of the Labor and Employment Section of the American Bar Association, and was a management co-chair of the Employee Benefits Subcommittee Newsletter. She is a past instructor for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, and a former barrister in the Thomas More Inn of Court.

While attending Loyola University School of Law, René was a member of the Loyola Law Review and Moot Court.

Photo of Michael E. Holzapfel 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…

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 reimbursement disputes. He also is active in the new wave of ERISA breach of fiduciary duty class actions related to pension plan fees.

Over nearly twenty years of practice, Michael has also represented businesses from closely-held family ventures to Fortune 500 companies in both Single-Plaintiff disputes and complex class actions. His clients have included publicly traded and privately held insurers, administrators, financial institutions, contractors, and construction management firms, among others. Michael’s sophisticated understanding of such diverse industries allows him to deliver advice tailored to his clients’ unique needs and environment, as well as to provide effective counsel throughout all aspects of the pre-trial, trial, and appeals process.

During law school, Michael was an associate editor of the Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Lawrence M. Lawson, Assignment Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Monmouth County.

Photo of Darran E. St. Ange Darran E. St. Ange

Darran E. St. Ange is an associate in the Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, office of Jackson Lewis P.C.

Darran St. Ange graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was the president of the Student Bar Association, and a member of…

Darran E. St. Ange is an associate in the Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, office of Jackson Lewis P.C.

Darran St. Ange graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was the president of the Student Bar Association, and a member of both the Interscholastic Moot Court Board and Seton Hall Legislative Journal. During law school, Darran also worked as a student attorney in the D.N.J Representation in Settlement Conference Practicum and the S.D.N.Y. Representative in Mediation Practicum where he represented indigent clients in various employment related matters. Prior to joining the firm, Darran interned for the Honorable Joseph A. Dickson of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and clerked for the Honorable Mary Gibbons Whipple, New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division.