Y. Michael Twersky

Biography

YECHIEL MICHAEL TWERSKY concentrates his practice on representing plaintiffs in complex litigation, including primarily environmental and insurance matters. Mr. Twersky also has experience in a wide variety of other areas, including Lanham Act litigation and antitrust matters. 

Currently, Mr. Twersky spends much of his time representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the State Maryland and the State of New Jersey as Special Counsel in the MTBE litigation, wherein the State plaintiffs have brought claims against oil companies in connection with groundwater contamination.

Mr. Twersky plays a significant role in these complex cases, and has become familiar with the many unique aspects of serving as Special Counsel in governmental litigation, the defenses that might be raised against the State plaintiffs, and prosecuting claims against multinational defendants willing to litigate for decades. Mr. Twersky is also involved in private environmental matters, including litigating claims against several entities in the Virgin Islands in connection with alleged contamination resulting from the re-starting of the Limetree Bay Refinery in 2021. 

In the past, Mr. Twersky has gained substantial experience in other complex cases, including numerous antitrust class actions alleging pharmaceutical manufacturers wrongfully kept less expensive generic drugs off the market, in violation of antitrust laws. Such matters include: In re Skelaxin (Metaxalone) Antitrust Litigation, 1:12-md-02343 (E.D. Tenn.) ($73 million settlement in 2014), and In re Solodyn Antitrust Litig., 14 MD 2503 (D. Mass.) (combined settlements in excess of $76 million in 2018). 

Mr. Twersky was also heavily involved in a settled class action brought on behalf of Alaska-enrolled Medicaid Healthcare Providers against the developers of the Alaska Medicaid Management Information System Company. Plaintiffs in that case alleged that the defendants failed to properly design, develop, and implement the State of Alaska’s Medicaid Management Information System (“Health Enterprise”), and made misrepresentations to the State of Alaska about Health Enterprise’s operational readiness in violation of the Alaska Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act, A.S. § 45.50.471. See South Peninsula Hospital et al v. Xerox State Healthcare, LLC, 3:15- cv-00177 (D. Alaska) ($6.75 million settlement approved in 2021).

Additionally, Mr. Twersky has worked on many complex insurance class matters, including a case in which a federal district court found (on summary judgment) that a large insurance company had breached its policy when it denied benefits under an accidental death insurance plan. 

Mr. Twersky graduated from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2011, where he was a member of the Rubin Public Interest Law Honors Society and a Class Senator. In addition, Mr. Twersky advised various clients in business matters as part of Temple University’s Business Law Clinic.