Daniel A. Saunders is a leading trial and appellate lawyer focusing on a wide variety of complex business litigation, entertainment, employment, and white collar cases. Dan represents corporate and individual clients in a broad range of high-stakes civil and criminal litigation and government, regulatory, and internal investigations. Dan has tried more than 40 jury trials and arbitrations, and has briefed and/or argued more than 50 appeals before various U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal.
Dan is recognized as a top practitioner by Benchmark Litigation, Best Lawyers and by California Super Lawyers. He has also been recognized as a Leading Litigator in America by Lawdragon and as a top entertainment litigator in Variety’s “Legal Impact Report”.
Dan spent 14 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, serving in a number of positions, including as Deputy Chief of the Violent & Organized Crime Section. While at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Dan prosecuted hundreds of cases covering a broad range of federal criminal offenses, including the highly publicized RICO/wiretapping prosecution of private investigator Anthony Pellicano and his associates and the RICO prosecution of Hollywood nightclub owner Eddie Nash for conspiring to commit the infamous “Wonderland murders.” Dan received the Prosecutor of the Year award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association, as well as the Department of Justice’s Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Dan has taught trial advocacy and evidence courses at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy and also served as a professor of constitutional law and criminal procedure at Glendale University College of Law. He has lectured on the American criminal justice system and prosecution of organized crime, money laundering, and public corruption cases at international conferences.
Work Highlights:
- Actor Scarlett Johansson in a multi-million dollar lawsuit alleging that The Walt Disney Company interfered with her contract to receive a box-office bonuses from the Marvel Entertainment film, Black Widow, by forcing its wholly-owned subsidiary Marvel to release Black Widow on its Disney+ streaming service simultaneously with the film’s release in theatres, in violation of Marvel’s commitment to an exclusive theatrical release.
- Actors David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel and author-producer Kathy Reichs, the stars and creator of the hit TV series “Bones,” in an arbitration against 21st Century Fox, Fox Broadcasting Company, and other Fox entities alleging self-dealing and fraud. The case resulted in a $179 million award, the largest arbitration award ever issued in a profit participation dispute.
- Producers of a hit television series in a confidential arbitration against a producing studio and network alleging breach of contract, self-dealing, and fraud; clients secured substantial damages award.
- Entertainment guild in multiple arbitrations against television studios for underpayment of member residuals in connection with their licensing of television series to affiliated streaming services.
Updated Sep 2023
