Weathers Bolt is a partner in Starnes Davis Florie’s Mobile, Alabama office. He regularly handles cases in the areas of construction, warranty, products liability, malpractice, and fraud. He has tried jury and bench trials to a verdict and has experience compelling and defending claims in arbitration. Weathers also advises a range of clients on employee health and safety regulations, navigating OSHA inspections, and contesting citations, helping to resolve OSHA enforcement actions through both settlement and trial.
Professional Recognition
- Selected to Mobile Bay Magazine's 2022 Class of Top 40 Under 40
- Named a Rising Star in Alabama by Mid-South Super Lawyers® magazine.
- While attending law school, Weathers served as Managing Editor of the Alabama Law Review, Senator of the Student Bar Association, and was a member of the Bench & Bar Legal Honor Society. He received the Anna C. Curry Leadership Award, the Dean’s Community Service Award, the Alabama Law Review - Best Student Contribution award, the Judge Robert G. Kendall III Endowed Scholarship, and the W. Allen Cox Endowed Scholarship.
- For undergrad, Weathers attended Emory University, where he was a member of the varsity swim team. At Emory, Weathers was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and received All-Academic Recognition for the University Athletic Association Conference.
Community Involvement
Weathers is active in the community and local bar, serving as past Secretary of the Mobile Bar Association and President of the Mobile Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Section.
Highlights
- Obtained a favorable verdict for a surety client after an 8-day jury trial in the Circuit Court of Mobile County, Alabama, in a case arising out of the construction of a $6.7 million, 1.5-mile force main discharge pipeline from a wastewater treatment facility.
- Obtained a favorable ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court to enforce their client’s arbitration agreement in a nursing home malpractice case.
- Celeste Lambert v. Autry Greer & Sons, Inc. Obtained summary judgment in a premises liability case on an open and obvious theory wherein the Plaintiff allegedly tripped and fell on a metal panel and sustained neck injuries resulting in an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.
- Grayson v. PURE – Obtained a defense verdict in an insurance coverage dispute alleging that the plaintiff qualified as a resident relative under his sister’s UM/UIM insurance policy. The verdict was vacated by the Court, but was reinstated on appeal by the Alabama Supreme Court. (No. 1150927, — So. 3d —, 2016 WL 7321571 (Ala. Dec. 16, 2016))
- Secretary of Labor v. Blakeley Boatworks – Received favorable ruling from ALJ vacating an OSHA citation based on the unpreventable supervisory misconduct defense. (OSHRC Docket No 16-1533) (currently on appeal).
- Obtained a defense verdict for an OB/GYN in a case alleging misrepresentation of colposcopy findings as cancer resulting in an unnecessary hysterectomy.
- Carnrike v. Titusville Herald – Obtained dismissal of a defamation suit against a newspaper publisher in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama for lack of personal jurisdiction. (Case No. 14-429-KD-B)
Presentations and Publications
- “The Intersection Between HR and OSHA,” Manufacture Alabama HR, Safety & Environmental Conference, Birmingham, AL, November 10, 2022.
- “Thinking Outside the Box, Act II: Global Perspective to Risk Management, Etc.,” Alabama Nursing Home Association Mid-Year Conference, Orange Beach, AL, April 27, 2022.
- “OSHA in the Healthcare World- What We Have Learned from COVID Inspections and What to Expect in the Future,” Webinar hosted by IADC, April 20, 2022.
- “What the Vaccine Mandate Could Mean for You & Your Business,” Webinar hosted by BMSS Advisors & CPA’s, November 10, 2021.
- “Preparing for and Responding to COVID-19 in the Workplace,” CLE Presentation to the Mobile Bar Association, December 4, 2020.
- “Another threat to your facility: OSHA’s approach to enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Webinar to the Alabama Nursing Home Association with Michael Arther, May 12, 2020.
- “How to Develop a Return to Work Plan That Protects Your Employees & is Legally Compliant,” SDF Employment Group Webinar, April 22, 2020.
- “Trial Preparation: From the Close of Discovery to the Moment You Arrive in Court,” CLE, Alabama Law Weekly, December 19, 2018.
- “Alabama Litigation Overview,” Practical Law Litigation (Summer 2016; Updated Spring 2018).
- “Responding to a Complaint: Alabama Q&A,” Practical Law Litigation (Summer 2015).
- UM/UIM Law in Alabama, a webinar for a national third-party claims administrator, May 5, 2015.
- “Much Ado About Nothing: The Effect of Manifest Disregard on Arbitration Agreement Decisions,” Note, 63 ALA. L. REV. 300 (2011).
News & Insights
- News Alert: OSHA’s focus on workplace violence in healthcare continues
- SDF’s Stiff & Bolt Obtain Defense Verdict in an 8-Day Surety Trial
- 16 Starnes Attorneys Listed in the 2022 Edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers
- Newton, Bolt & Hines Obtain Favorable Ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court
- US Department of Labor Announces Enforcement, Effort for Focused Inspections in Hospitals, Nursing Care Facilities Treating COVID-19 Patients
- Weathers Bolt Named to Mobile Bay’s 2022 Class of Top 40 Under 40
- Vaccine Mandate Update: OSHA Clear to Enforce, CMS in Limbo
- TWENTY-TWO ATTORNEYS NAMED TO THE 2021 EDITION OF MID-SOUTH SUPER LAWYERS
- Breanna Young & Weathers Bolt Present on the New Federal Vaccine Mandate for Large Employers
- Biden-Harris Administration Issues Emergency Regulation Requiring COVID-19 Vaccination for Health Care Workers
- OSHA Issues Vaccine Mandate: Common Questions on OSHA’s Large Employer Vaccine Mandate
- Update on Vaccine Mandates
- PRESIDENT BIDEN’S COVID-19 ACTION PLAN: WHAT PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WORKFORCE VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS
- OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard for Healthcare Workers
- OSHA’s National Emphasis Program – COVID-19
- State Mask Order Extended; CDC Issues Recommendations for People Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 – What Does It All Mean for Alabama’s Workplaces?
- Biden’s OSHA and the Likelihood of More COVID-19 Regulation
- YES, YOU CAN REQUIRE YOUR EMPLOYEES TO GET THE VACCINE, BUT SHOULD YOU?
- Twenty-Six Attorneys Named to the 2020 Edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers
- Criminal Consequences for Failed OSHA Compliance