James Waldenberger

James J. Waldenberger is an experienced litigator who has a wealth of hands-on experience in personal injury cases from both the plaintiffs and defense perspectives.

Before joining Kline & Specter in 2007, Waldenberger worked for six years at another Philadelphia firm representing plaintiffs in a variety of lawsuits, serving as lead attorney and co-counsel in cases that resulted in a number of six- and seven-figure settlements and verdicts.

Since coming to the firm, Waldenberger has been involved in a litany of major cases.

In his most recent case, Waldenberger in December 2012 negotiated a $2.6 million settlement for a Paulsboro, N.J., garbage collector who suffered severe face and neck injuries when he was burned by sulfuric acid after a collection at a plumbing supply store. (Read more)

Earlier in 2012, Waldenberger won a $3 million Philadelphia jury verdict for a woman who suffered nerve damage as a result of a missed colon cancer diagnosis. The delay in treatment of 22 months resulted in her having to undergo chemotherapy that caused nerve damage and permanent muscle and joint pain. (Read the news article)

In another case, Waldenberger represented a man who suffered catastrophic brain injuries when his car was struck by a 36-ton dump truck in Delaware County. That litigation resulted in a $5.75 million settlement.

He settled a case for $5.35 million in 2010 against the designers and builders of an industrial factory where an improper platform and equipment layout created a blind corner, resulting in a worker being struck by a forklift and suffering a foot injury that required amputation of his leg at the knee.

In a 2009 case, Waldenberger filed suit againt the Philadelphia Department of Human Services for the improper placement of a five-year-old girl in a home for which DHS did not perform an adequate background check. The girl was raped by another child at the home. The case settled for $2 million.

Later in the same year, Waldenberger negotiated a $3 million settlement for the estate of a cement truck driver who was killed after the vehicle struck a ditch and its 40,000-pound mixer dislodged, rolled forward and crushed the cab. The case, which involved negligence and product liability claims, settled in Northampton County. (See The Conley Case.)

Among other legal victories:

• Waldenberger in late 2008 was co-counsel in a case that resulted in a $3.35 million settlement for a man who was injured during a training session with a water pressure cleaner capable of producing water pressure up to 20,000 psi. After being blasted with the water jet, he suffered severed femoral arteries and was left with permanent disabilities. His lawsuit claimed that the company which rented the equipment and provided training had disregarded its own standards for safe operation.
• Waldenberger represented a young man who suffered a traumatic brain injury in an auto accident in which the driver was allegedly drunk after being served underage at a Philadelphia bar. The driver and the bar settled in July 2008 for a total $1,857,500.
• Just a month earlier, Waldenberger reached a $2 million settlement for a 17-year-old worker who was killed when a tire he was helping to inflate exploded at a Pennsylvania Turnpike rest area. Suit was filed against the worker’s employer, Service Tire Truck Centers, and a co-worker who had failed to properly inspect the tire and to use a required safety cage before inflating it.
• In one notable case, Waldenberger represented a 45-year-old woman who suffered severe facial scarring in a gas explosion that occurred when she turned on her clothes dryer. A lawsuit against two utility companies resulted in a substantial, though confidential, settlement.

Prior to his work as a plaintiff’s attorney, Waldenberger represented defendants in personal injury and product liability cases at two Philadelphia law firms, Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin, and at Goldfein & Joseph, P.C.

Waldenberger attended Villanova University as an undergraduate, earning an English degree with honors. He also attended Villanova for law school, where he was a member of the National Moot Court Team and participated in tournaments in Tennessee, Minnesota and North Carolina.

Waldenberger is a Fellow of the Academy in Trial Advocacy. He is a member of the bar in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

To contact Jim Waldenberger, email him at