Walter currently practices in the areas of premises liability, asbestos, hospitality/dram shop, product, auto, trucking & transportation and pharmaceutical matters. He has extensive experience in premises liability in the retail sector, having handled several hundred cases ranging from slip and falls to falling merchandise claims. He likewise has broad experience in pharmaceutical matters, representing numerous pharmacies and pharmacists in misfill and mislabel matters. In the course of his career, Walter has taken more than 50 matters to trial, including many jury trials. He is also quite skilled in alternative dispute resolution forums such as mediations and arbitrations.
Walter is a graduate of the University of Delaware where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. He received his juris doctor from The Delaware Law School of Widener University, after which he joined Marshall Dennehey. In 1991, he moved to the New Jersey office where he concentrated his practice on general liability matters. He has been a shareholder since January of 1996.
Walter initially began his career in the asbestos department where he handled hundreds of asbestos personal injury actions involving various claims of lung disease. As such, early in his career, he took numerous cases to verdict.
Walter is frequently asked by clients and industry organizations to lecture on a variety of topics concerning premises liability, automobile law and general liability matters.
Honors & awards
AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
The Martindale Hubbell rated attorney list is issued by Internet Brands, Inc. A description of the selection methodology can be found here . No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
The Best Lawyers in America, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
2025-2026
The Best Lawyers list is issued by Woodward & White. A description of the selection methodology can be found here . No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Year joined
1987
Results
Summary Judgment Secured in Slip-and-Fall Case
Premises & Retail Liability
November 7, 2025
We were granted summary judgment in a slip-and-fall case where the plaintiff claimed to have slipped and fell on snow/ice in a parking lot when getting into her car. Our client and one of the co-defendants had property lines next to each other. Based on the accident report, the plaintiff’s testimony and our expert report, we argued that the plaintiff did not fall on our property and, as a result, we owed her no duty. The judge agreed and dismissed all claims against our client.
Dismissal of All Claims Secured in a Personal Injury Action in New Jersey
Amusements, Sports & Recreation Liability
September 18, 2025
We secured dismissal of all claims, with prejudice, in a personal injury action on behalf of a nonprofit organization operating youth baseball leagues in New Jersey. The plaintiffs sought to hold our client liable under a negligence theory after their minor child was injured while participating in our client’s recreational baseball league. We moved for summary judgment, arguing that the league was a nonprofit organization entitled to protection under New Jersey’s Charitable Immunity Act, which shields nonprofits from ordinary negligence.
Jury Defense Verdict Secured in a Case Involving Negligent Propane Services
General Liability
Premises & Retail Liability
June 14, 2024
We obtained a jury defense verdict in Cumberland County, New Jersey. We defended a major propane company where it was claimed that they provided negligent service to a stove which allegedly caused a trailer fire. The plaintiffs lost everything in the fire, including their pets. They also sustained serious and permanent burn injuries. Total medical bills were in excess of $1.5 million, and there was a $227,000 Medicare lien. The plaintiffs’ demand was $5 million. In less than two hours, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the defense.
Confirmation for obtaining the grant of summary judgement in a premises liability case.
Premises & Retail Liability
Appellate Advocacy & Post-Trial Practice
August 13, 2021
Our defense team successfully obtained an affirmance of the grant of summary judgment in a premises liability case. The plaintiff asserted he tripped and fell in our client’s supermarket and that the fall exacerbated his epilepsy. The discovery period ended without the plaintiff producing an expert opinion that causally connected the medical complaints to the fall. The plaintiff claimed that his treatment for cancer caused his inability to be timely examined and to obtain an expert opinion.
Successful defense of grant of summary judgment in the New Jersey Appellate Division results in published opinion
General Liability
December 1, 2020
Walter Klekotka (Mount Laurel, NJ) and Walter Kawalec (Mount Laurel, NJ) were successful in defending a grant of summary judgment in the New Jersey Appellate Division that resulted in a published opinion. Our clients were the owner and manager of an apartment complex for seniors. The plaintiff/resident had returned from walking her dog and alleged she received injuries entering the elevator.
Thought Leadership
98 Marshall Dennehey Attorneys Recognized in the 2026 Editions of The Best Lawyers in America and the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America
August 20, 2025
Marshall Dennehey is proud to highlight the firm’s 98 attorneys who have been recognized in the 2026 editions of The Best Lawyers in America and the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America. Less than 6% of all practicing lawyers in the U.S.
On the Pulse... Premises and Retail Liability Group
Orlando
Mount Laurel
Premises & Retail Liability
June 1, 2021
Marshall Dennehey’s Premises and Retail Liability Practice Group, housed within the firm’s Casualty Department, defends Defense Digest, Vol.
Classes/Seminars Taught
Successful Strategies for Effective Mediation, Marshall Dennehey Client Seminar, July 20, 2022
Jurisdictional Trends & The COVID-19 Impact on FL NY NJ & PA, Marshall Dennehey Virtual Client Presentation, December, 2020
1997 Civil Motion Practice, New Jersey State Bar Association Civil Litigation for Paralegals, CISI Dram Shop, South Jersey Claims Association
