Scott has been practicing at Starnes for over 28 years. He has an active insurance coverage and insurance litigation practice, providing coverage analysis and having represented insurers and policyholders in insurance coverage disputes, declaratory judgment actions, breach of contract and bad faith actions. Scott’s practice is also devoted to catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation, including medical malpractice defense, healthcare litigation, and pharmaceutical/medical device litigation. Scott also handles commercial litigation, including identity theft litigation. He has tried approximately 55 complex civil cases, as well as obtaining many favorable results through motion practice.
Professional Recognition
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America®
- "Lawyer of the Year" for Birmingham, Alabama, Litigation-Insurance in the 2018 edition of Best Lawyers in America
- Alabama Super Lawyer by Mid-South Super Lawyers®
- Diplomate of the American Board of Trial Advocates - Past National Board Representative
- Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC) – Alabama State Representative, Trial Masters Program, and Past Chairman of Healthcare Practice Section
Highlights
- Obtained a defense verdict for a radiologist following an 8-day jury trial involving allegations of failure to diagnose acute appendicitis.
- Obtained a defense verdict for an obstetrician following an 8-day jury trial in Federal Court in Florence, Alabama, in a case involving a “pan-plexus” injury at birth.
- After a nine day trial, obtained a Judgment as a Matter of Law on behalf of a board certified general surgeon in a wrongful death case alleging the surgeon failed to recognize signs of an abdominal complication after colon surgery.
- Obtained a defense verdict on behalf of an urologist in a case alleging negligence in the performance of an adult circumcision.
- Obtained a judgment from the Supreme Court of Alabama affirming a summary judgment in an action involving claims of negligence against an obstetrician based on a shoulder dystocia that occurred at birth resulting in a permanent brachial plexus injury. The action alleged the obstetrician should have performed a cesarean section instead of a vaginal delivery because the mother had encountered a shoulder dystocia with a previous birth. Summary judgment was granted on the grounds that the plaintiff’s expert failed to establish a breach of the standard of care against the defendant obstetrician and that alternative claims against the defendant physician’s partner, who was not originally named in the action, were barred by the statute of limitations.
- Obtained summary judgment and affirmance in favor of excess insurance company in multi-million dollar breach of contract and bad faith action.
- Obtained a favorable opinion from the Supreme Court of Alabama in favor of a construction company client involving an insurance coverage dispute.
Presentations and Publications
- Anatomy of a Trial – Handling the Truth: Great Testimony on Direct and Cross Examination, Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel’s Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington from July 25-30, 2022
- DRI Trial Tactics Seminar, Mock Trial Critical Analysis, Las Vegas, March 2017
- Litigating Professional Liability Matters Before State Administrative Enforcement Agencies, Alabama State Bar White Collar Crime Committee, 2016
- ABA Medicolegal Guides: Head Trauma and Brain Injury for Lawyers, Traumatic Brain Injury, Neuropsychological Testing: A Defense Perspective, Chpt. 22, pp. 529-543 (2016)
- DRI Medical Liability and Healthcare Seminar, “Is It Personal to You, It Should Be,” New Orleans, LA March 2016
- Public Disruptions in the Healthcare Industry, FDCC Annual Meeting, Banff, Alberta, CA, 2015.
- Preserving Error for Appeal – Winning at the Trial Court, FDCC Annual Meeting, Banff, Alberta, CA, 2015.
News & Insights
- 30 Starnes Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2024
- Scott Salter & Todd Huntley Obtain a Defense Verdict for a Radiologist Following an 8-Day Jury Trial
- SDF’s Wright & Salter Win 8-Day Jury Trial in Federal Court
- Scott Salter Speaks as Part of Masters in Trial Program at FDCC Annual Meeting
- Salter & Bates Obtain a Judgment as a Matter of Law After a Nine-Day Wrongful Death Trial
- 30 SDF ATTORNEYS LISTED IN BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA 2023
- 29 SDF ATTORNEYS LISTED IN BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA 2022
- Twenty-Six SDF Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2021
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Business Interruption, Property Damage, and Other Insurance Coverage Issues
- Thirty SDF Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers 2020
- THIRTY-ONE SDF ATTORNEYS NAMED TO THE 2018 EDITION OF MID-SOUTH SUPER LAWYERS
- Twenty-Seven SDF Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2019
- Twenty-Eight SDF Attorneys Named to the 2017 Edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers
- Butler, Salter & Wright Named Best Lawyers “2018 Lawyer of the Year”
- Twenty-Six SDF Lawyers Listed in the 2018 Edition of Best Lawyers in America
- Starnes Attorneys Scott Salter & Billy Bates Win Trial in Professional Liability Case
- SDF Attorneys Billy Bates & Scott Salter Obtain Favorable Judgment from the Supreme Court of Alabama
- Twenty-Six SDF Attorneys Named to the 2016 Edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers
- Twenty Starnes Davis Florie Attorneys Named to the 2017 Edition of Best Lawyers®
- Chambers County Jury Returns Defense Verdict in Case Defended by Salter and Bates