Walter 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.
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
Published Works
•'No More Pigeonholes in Premises Liability Law,' New Jersey Law Journal, August 21, 2006
•'New Jersey Charitable Immunity Act: Public University Exempt From Suit Even Though Judgment Would Be Paid From Public Funds,' Defense Digest, 2002-09, Vol. 8, No. 3
•'The Downsizing of the Collateral Source Rule,' Defense Digest, 2001-12, Vol. 7, No. 6, co-author
•'Then N.J. Appellate Division Clarifies Duty Owed by Commercial Tenant,' Defense Digest, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1997
•'The Blizzard's Backlash: A Symposium on Issues Confronting Pennsylvania and New Jersey Property Owners,' (Co author), Defense Digest, March 1996
•'New Jersey Spoliation of Evidence and the Doctrine of Res Ispa Loquitur,' Defense Digest, August 1995
•'New Jersey Creates Recreational Sports & Leisure Activities Liability Study Commission,' Defense Digest, Summer 1994
Results
Summary Judgment Secured in Slip-and-Fall Case
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
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. In opposition, the plaintiffs attempted to avoid dismissal by challenging the league’s nonprofit status, claiming the minor’s age created an exception to the Act. Through targeted arguments and documents evidencing the league’s nonprofit status, the court agreed that the Charitable Immunity Act applied and that the plaintiffs failed to show gross negligence to overcome the Act’s protections. The court granted the league’s motion for summary judgment in its entirety and further agreed with our arguments that the volunteer coaches were independently shielded under New Jersey’s Volunteer-Coach Immunity.
Thought Leadership
Defense Digest
On the Pulse... Premises and Retail Liability Group
June 1, 2021
Marshall Dennehey’s Premises and Retail Liability Practice Group, housed within the firm’s Casualty Department, defends national and regional retail chains in a vast array of premises liability matters. Claims against retail stores, including general liability premises claims, negligent security claims and retail theft claims, make up almost one-third of the firm’s casualty cases. For more than 25 years, the practice has continued to grow, confirming the value that this specialized group offers to our retail clients.Comprised of highly-skilled trial attorneys and litigators, with members of the group located throughout the firm’s 20 offices, our practice group continues to maintain a strong multi-regional presence within the industry. Our premises and retail liability attorneys are well-versed in those legal issues impacting all aspects of the retail industry, from liability both outside and inside of the premises, to the services and products retailers offer their customers. Our comprehensive knowledge of the issues facing our retail clients allows us to identify issues early on, based on the claims asserted and available defenses, in order to: Determine whether the matter should be aggressively defended or placed into an early settlement strategy;Help prevent against possible spoliation issues;Complete a thorough investigation based on internal policies, industry standards and current litigation trends; Timely identify and evaluate significant risk transfer issues to alleviate the financial burden on our retail clients and/or their carriers; andEffectively work toward carrying out our defense strategy with minimal disruption to our clients’ retail businesses, regardless of size.In addition to our practice group’s highly-skilled defense of premises and retail liability claims, our attorneys assist with early investigations of possible claims to ensure a strong plan of action is promptly put in place. These minimal and low-cost efforts, when completed up front, ensure the timely collection of critical information that is often lost over time due to common challenges facing the retail industry, such as employee turnover, subsequent revisions to internal policies, and the failure to timely preserve video and photographic evidence.Our attorneys also play a pivotal role in training clients to be knowledgeable about issues and trends facing the retail industry. By providing on-site seminars to employees and managers, consulting on the drafting of internal policies and procedures, and assisting with the implementation of risk-prevention practices, we can help to reduce the number of claims with which our clients are faced. Having developed long-lasting relationships with many national and local retail clients, they know that the specialized knowledge of our practice group attorneys is just a phone call away.Through memberships with industry groups, such as the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) and the National Retail & Restaurant Defense Association (NRRDA), our attorneys are at the forefront of issues and trends facing the retail industry. Their efforts put the Marshall Dennehey Premises and Retail Liability Group in the best position to provide high-level, specialized services to our retail clients.*Marshall Dennehey’s Premises and Retail Liability Practice Group is co-chaired by shareholders Walter J. Klekotka, of our Mount Laurel, New Jersey office, and Amanda J. Podlucky, of our Orlando, Florida office, who have a total of more than 45 years combined experience defending premises claims They may be reached at wjklekotka@mdwcg.com or ajpodlucky@mdwcg.com. Defense Digest, Vol. 27, No. 3, June 2021 is prepared by Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin to provide information on recent legal developments of interest to our readers. This publication is not intended to provide legal advice for a specific situation or to create an attorney-client relationship. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING pursuant to New York RPC 7.1. 2021 Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be reprinted without the express written permission of our firm. For reprints, contact tamontemuro@mdwcg.com.
News
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
