New Appleman Sports and Entertainment Insurance Law & Practice Guide

Kirk Pasich is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Liner LLP. He represents insureds in complex coverage matters.

Cassandra Franklin serves as Managing Attorney-Claims Coverage Counsel at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty. Ms. Franklin joined Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, a division of Allianz, in 2013, after years of experience representing policyholders in various lines of business. She currently manages a team of coverage counsel handling matters involving a range of insurance products, including both first-party property and entertainment policies and third-party liability policies. Ms. Franklin has also spoken and written extensively on a variety of insurance coverage topics.

One of the original co-authors of the New Appleman Sports and Entertainment Insurance Law & Practice Guide, Ms. Franklin is well-versed in the special insurance coverage issues arising in the entertainment world. Earlier in her career, Ms. Franklin handled a wide range of commercial and entertainment litigation. She also served as a member of UCLA Law School's faculty for eight years and as a law clerk to Otto M. Kaus and Edward A. Panelli, then associate justices on the California Supreme Court.

Sandra Smith Thayer is a partner in Liner's Insurance Recovery Group. Sandy conducts an active trial and arbitration practice, representing insureds in complex insurance coverage matters and in disputes and litigation with insurance brokers. She co-led efforts to secure $1.8 billion from various insurers for a client's liabilities for the 2007 San Diego wildfires and served as one of two trial counsel for a client in a two-week jury trial in October 2008 against an insurance broker, obtaining a $48.5 million jury verdict that was affirmed in full by the Ninth Circuit in 2010. Sandy has arbitrated before the London Court of International Arbitration and second-chaired an arbitration in which a client recovered $70 million.

Sandy has handled matters regarding insurance coverage for political risk claims; business interruption and extra expense claims; earthquakes, fires, and other natural disaster losses; employment, discrimination, and harassment claims; entertainment industry liabilities and production losses; environmental and pollution losses; errors and omissions and professional liabilities; fraud and misrepresentation; products liability; and securities laws violations. She also has represented clients in a wide range of non-insurance matters.

Shaun H. Crosner is a Partner in Liner's Insurance Recovery Group. Shaun counsels individuals and corporate policyholders in pre-litigation disputes with their insurers, and has an active insurance coverage litigation and arbitration practice. Shaun also has represented policyholders in connection with appeals to the California and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal.

Shaun frequently speaks and writes on insurance law and related topics. He has been quoted in several trade publications, and he has written dozens of articles and columns featured in various national and regional periodicals.

Shaun has represented policyholders in a wide range of matters involving insurance coverage for advertising liabilities; athlete loss-of-value and disability benefits; bodily injury and wrongful death lawsuits; business interruption and extra expense losses; construction defect litigation; copyright infringement claims; defamation claims; directors and officers liabilities; employment-related discrimination and wage and hour lawsuits; entertainment industry and production liabilities; errors and omissions and professional malpractice liabilities; fires, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disaster losses; marine insurance claims, including stock and equipment losses; personal property, including rare antiquities and artwork; property damage claims; and rescission lawsuits. He has also represented commercial clients in lawsuits against insurance brokers and in general business litigation and contract disputes.

Julia K. Holt was formerly an associate in Dickstein Shapiro's Insurance Coverage Practice. Ms. Holt represented insureds and reinsureds, including Fortune 500 companies and individual talent in the entertainment and sports industries, in complex insurance coverage and other disputes. Her insurance recovery and litigation experience includes both first-party and third-party insurance disputes involving property damage, business interruption, bodily injury, commercial general liability policies, reinsurance policies, directors and officers liabilities, professional malpractice, and insurance broker-agent liability.