Natalie L. Weatherford 

Natalie L. Weatherford is an accomplished trial lawyer who focuses on representing child and adult victims of sexual violence. In her nearly 12-year career, she and her teams have helped secure over a dozen multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements while bringing a sense of closure to those she fights for.

She currently has more than 70 sexual abuse lawsuits pending against school districts and other large institutions throughout California.

When asked about what motivates her, Weatherford said she makes it a priority to keep in contact with those she represents to not only bring justice and accountability to their abusers, but to “make sure they feel the litigation process is not only helping them, but also helping them move towards some healing. At the end of the day, they just want justice and to feel like themselves again with control of their lives. So, to be a part of that is really rewarding. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my law degree.”

In March 2022, Weatherford and her team helped secure a $102.5 million verdict on behalf of two women who were sexually abused by their music teacher while attending Dartmouth Middle School in San Jose. Jane Doe 2 v. Union School District, 19CV343101 (Santa Clara Sup. Ct., filed Feb. 13, 2019).

Her team represented the two women, who are now in adulthood, through a five-week-long jury trial against the Union School District. The abuser was arrested and sentenced to 52 years in prison in 2017.

“This was a case where the school district had overwhelming evidence that this perpetrator was abusing students long before he ever abused the two plaintiffs in the case,” Weatherford said. “We got to put it in front of a jury and they were outraged by the abuse these girls had suffered … The damage that these women suffered and the fact that it went in front of a jury was very important. Juries take sexual abuse seriously and they understand just how damaging it can be to a young person.”

In March 2021, Weatherford and her team obtained a $5 million settlement against trucking company CRST. The lawsuit involved a female trainee truck driver who was raped by her supervising co-driver. Jane Doe v. CRST Expedited, Inc., RIC1808034 (Riverside Super. Ct., filed May 4, 2018).

“The litigation, in this case, was very contentious. CRST tried to blame the plaintiff for her own rape and said she didn’t react correctly and report it right away,” Weatherford said. “So, to prove her case and protect her from all the harassment she was receiving on the other side from the defense, and then to receive a favorable financial outcome for her was very rewarding … She is now thriving in a new career and has the money to receive treatment and start her life over again.”

— Devon Belcher