Kurt D. Holzer

Bar / Professional Activity

• Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, President, 2005 – 2006
• Hidden Springs Town Association, President-Board of Directors, 2008 – 2010
• Lost River Cycling, Board of Directors, 2003 – 2019
• Southwest Idaho Cycling Association, Manager, 2004 – 2017
• American Inns of Court, 1997-1999, 2019-Present
• Idaho Supreme Court SLRA Implementation Committee
• American Association for Justice, Member, 1994 – Present
• American Association for Justice, Idaho Representative, 2000 – 2001
• Idaho Law Foundation, Access to Justice Steering Committee, Chairman 2023-2024
• Idaho Law Foundation, Access to Justice Steering Committee, Vice-Chair 2022
• Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, Member, 1994-Present
• Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, Governmental Relations Committee, Member, 1998- 2006
• Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, Governmental Relations Committee, Co-Chair, 2007 – Present
• Idaho State Bar, Member, 1993- Present
• Idaho State Bar, Professional Conduct Board Member, 2000-2019
• Past President, Idaho State Bar Commission, 2022
• Idaho State Bar Commissioner, 2019-2021
• Member, Professional Conduct Board, Idaho State Bar (continuing), 1996

Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)

• Phillips v. Erhart, CV PI 0707453, Fourth District, Ada County. An unwitnessed fall down a stairway left plaintiff with a mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Plaintiff had no memory of the fall or what caused it. Total jury award was $1,664,374.00 (economic damages- $546,174.00, non-economic damages-$562,000.00, and loss of consortium damages- $556,200.00) Gonzales v. Thacker, Docket No. 34534 (Id. Sup. Ct. 2009). Kurt obtained a ruling from the Idaho Supreme Court on Idaho Code section 12-120(4) that rejected the conclusions of an earlier Idaho Supreme Court case interpreting the statute in a way that unfairly protected insurance companies. The case reversed the District Court Judge’s ruling. Parsons v. Mutual of Enumclaw. Ins. Co., 143 Idaho 743, 152 P.3d 614 (2007). Kurt obtained a ruling from the Idaho Supreme Court confirming that in cases against insurance companies for failure to timely pay benefits to their insureds, it is appropriate for the district court to award attorney fees based on a contingent fee contract. The case affirmed the District Court Judge’s ruling. In re Phillips, WCB Case No. TP-96004, (Oregon 1998). Kurt served as counsel for the plaintiff in a dispute with the worker's compensation surety over a $7,767,344.00 verdict that the plaintiff had received in Phillips v. USA, 89-CV-1133-S-HLR (D. Idaho). Busa v. Salmon Air, Fourth District Boise County Case No. CV-01-00067. Kurt helped plaintiffs recover for injuries incurred during the crash landing of a small commuter airplane operating under part 135 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Torres v. Gordon Trucking, 95-cv-00460-S-MHW (D. Idaho 1997). Kurt served on the trial team that recovered 1.6 million in compensatory damages for the parents of an 18 year-old boy killed by the driver of the trucking company. The jury also awarded a quarter million dollars in punitive damages because of the companies extreme deviation from reasonable safety standards., 2009
• GREG HOBBS and LAURIE HOBBS, v. PICKMAN CHIROPRACTIC INC. d/b/a Gonstead Spine and Wellness, and KASEY K. LEWIS, chiropractic vertebral artery dissection stroke case. resolved, 2017
• Weatherly v. Cruz, MASSV Music Festival 2012, MASSV Holdings LLC, City of Ketchum, Werry and Casino Inc., Fifth District, Blaine County CV-2014-346 Off-duty police officer suffered life changing injuries when a drunken concertgoer fell off a building and onto his head at a live music performance. The client could never return to work as an active law enforcement officer. In a complex multi-faceted case, the firm was able to reach a confidential resolution that allowed the long-time officer, army veteran and his family to get a fresh start on life., 2016

Pro bono / Community Service

• President Hidden Springs Town Association Town Council Manager Southwest Idaho Cycling Association
• Member Board of Commissioners Idaho State Bar

Honors

• Idaho Trial Lawyer of the Year 2011 (Idaho Trial Lawyers Association)
• Benchmark Litigation- Local Litigation Star
• Avvo Rated 10- Superb
• Listed – Super Lawyers honoree, 2009 to present
• Litigation – Insurance & Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, Acknowledged as among -The Best Lawyers in America 2015 to Present
• Martindale Hubble AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
• 2025 Lawdragon Leading 500 Consumer Attorney
• 2023 Lawyer of the Year for Boise Insurance Litigation in Best Lawyers®
• 2023 Lawyer of the Year for Boise Plaintiff’s Injury Litigation in Best Lawyers®
• 2021 Lawyer of the Year for Boise Plaintiff’s Injury Litigation in Best Lawyers®

Educational Background

• Mesa State College- Grand Junction Colorado (now Colorado Mesa University), B.A. cum laude, 1986-1989

Scholarly Lectures / Writings

• A discussion of the Dyet case and the attack on its viability by some members of the trial bar, Author, Relevant Medical Expenses at Trial: Dyet v. McKinley Remains Smart and Controlling Idaho Law, The Advocate (Idaho State Bar Journal), 2017
• Consistency and Change Can Comfortably Coexist, The Advocate, Vol. 65, No.6/7, 2022
• Change is Coming: Is it Time To Let People Other Than Lawyers Deliver Legal Services In Idaho? Vol. 65, No. 2, 2022
• The Gifts We Are Given, The Advocate, Vol. 64, No. 2, 2021
• Connections and Commitments, The Advocate, Vol. 63, No. 11/12, 2020
• The Amazing Telephone, The Advocate, Vol. 63, No. 3/4, 2020
• The Fundamentals of Preparing a Plaintiff for Deposition, Idaho Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. 27, Number 2, 1998
• Understanding and Proving Damages on Behalf of Adult Children in Wrongful Death Litigation, (Co-Author with Dr. Sharon Katz), Idaho Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. 28, Number 2, 1999
• Readying the Rookie Expert – 20 Rules for Translating Knowledge to Testimony, Idaho Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. 28, Number 4, 1999
• The Novice Expert: 20 Rules for Depo Testimony, Law Reporter, Consumer Lawyers of Hawaii, March/April, 2000
• Jury Awards in Idaho: A Survey Study of Punitive and Non-Economic Damage Awards in Idaho Courts, February 2003, with John Fielder, M.B.A., and Dr. Bryan Storer D.C. (Self-Published Research)
• SLRA – Its Practical Application Requires Understanding Its Express Language, The Advocate, Vol. 48, No. 2, 2005
• Idaho Injury Law – A Guidebook for Injured Idahoans, Speaker Media Press, 2011

• American Association For Justice
• Boise Metro Chamber Of Commerce
• Idaho State Bar
• Idaho State Bar Association
• Idaho Trial Lawyers Association