An experienced weatherman from Alabama has filed a lawsuit against his former television station, alleging that he was compelled to resign due to a demanding new work schedule and is now restricted by a noncompete agreement.
Josh Johnson, aged 43, had been the chief meteorologist at WSFA for several years. His departure was driven by the inability to juggle his professional obligations with the needs of his family.
Johnson’s legal action against the station arose after he found himself unable to pursue similar employment opportunities because of a binding clause he accepted in 2023.
Johnson had been a pivotal figure at WSFA since 2008, playing a crucial role during significant weather crises in Alabama. These included the catastrophic tornado outbreaks of April 2011, various tropical storms, and other severe weather incidents, as detailed in the lawsuit obtained by the Daily Mail.
His choice to leave the broadcast industry was influenced by “challenging circumstances beyond his control,” as the job’s demands prevented him from fulfilling family responsibilities.
The complaint further explains that Johnson’s parents are elderly and experiencing serious health declines, necessitating his attention and care.
The weatherman would frequently travel over two hours each way to care for his parents, providing ‘care, support and assistance’ to his mom and attending to his father’s ‘deteriorating condition.’
The complaint claimed that time spent on travel and care for his parents also kept him away from his two young stepchildren, but the doting family man ‘accepted these sacrifices without complaint, determined to meet his family responsibilities even at a great personal cost.’
Josh Johnson, 43, sued his former TV station after he was left unable to work anywhere else in the trade, thanks to a restrictive non-compete clause he had signed in 2023
The seasoned weatherman served as WSFA’s chief meteorologist for years, but his resignation came after he could no longer balance his work life with his family’s needs
Johnson was forced to quit after a more demanding work schedule made it impossible for him to see his stepchildren and care for his ageing parents, who he was traveling over two hours each way to support
However, when his job implemented a ‘new and significantly more time-intensive streaming strategy,’ Johnson was no longer able to keep his work and home life’s ‘delicate balance’ in check.
‘The expanded workload materially increased Johnson’s professional demands and eliminated what little flexibility he had managed to preserve,’ the complaint claimed.
‘Johnson found himself unable to adequately fulfill his essential caregiving responsibilities to his parents or maintain a meaningful presence in his children’s daily lives.’
Coupled with a restrictive custody agreement that governs Johnson’s wife’s two young children, the veteran weatherman was unable to find another role closer to his parents.
The situation became unsustainable through no fault of his own,’ the complaint continued.
‘Faced with no practical options, and unwilling to compromise the wellbeing of his children or abandon his ailing parents, Johnson made the exceedingly difficult decision to sever his relationship with WSFA and decline renewal of his employment contract upon its expiration.’
The station announced the weatherman’s resignation on April 8, and he worked his last day with the company on May 29.
‘This decision was not made lightly, but rather as a last resort, necessitated by an untenable convergence of professional demands and irrevocable family obligations,’ according to the document.
Johnson was left unable to find alternative work due to a ‘News Personnel Employment Agreement’ from March 2023, which prohibited him from ‘activities that are the same as or similar’ for a competitor during his employment there
The complaint claims that the language of the agreement was written in ‘extraordinarily broad terms,’ and included prohibiting the use of his name, appearance or likeness
However, Johnson was left unable to find alternative work due to a ‘News Personnel Employment Agreement’ from March 2023, which prohibited Johnson from ‘any activities that are the same as or similar to’ his job within the station for a competitor during his employment there.
The complaint claims that the language of the agreement was written in ‘extraordinarily broad terms,’ which left the restrictions encompassing ‘activity-based’ and ‘platform-based’ content rather than employer or competitor based.
‘It does not merely prevent Johnson from working for a competing television station. It purports to prohibit Johnson from performing the same or similar professional services – namely, weather forecasting and meteorological presentation – on any platform that could be accessed by viewers within the [Designated Market Area (DMA)],’ the document claimed.
The DMA defined within the agreement constitutes of 13 counties, including Autauga, Bullock, Butler, Crenshaw, Dallas, Elmore, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Montgomery, Pike, Tallapoosa, and Wilcox.
Such restrictions would keep the longtime weatherman from freely being able to work where his content would appear on social media, such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch or X, as they are ‘globally available to viewers within the DMA.’
Additionally, the agreement prohibits Johnson from using his name, image and likeness on any ‘video delivery system without the express written consent of WSFA,’ the filing continues.
The veteran weatherman seeks to declare the agreement as ‘invalid, unenforceable, not narrowly tailored and unlawfully restrains his ability to engage in his lawful profession.’
Just last week, Johnson announced that he was not retiring and instead had taken a job with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, which leads emergency planning and recovery for potential natural disasters in the state.
Johnson announced that he had taken a job with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, which leads planning and recovery for potential natural disasters in the state
On LinkedIn, he described communicating severe weather to the public as more than a career but a ‘calling.’
‘The AEMA is an incredible group of men and women who work tirelessly to prepare, mitigate and respond to disasters of all kinds. I am thrilled to join them and serve you in this new capacity,’ he wrote on Facebook as he exited WSFA.
‘I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as External Affairs at Alabama Emergency Management Agency,’ he wrote in a separate post on Tuesday.
The Daily Mail reached out to Johnson and his lawyers as well as Gray Media/WSFA for comment.
