Andrew M. Rongaus, Esquire
Andrew M. Rongaus is a Partner in the Chester Springs office of Siana Law. He concentrates his practice in the areas of civil rights, public official and police liability, internal investigations, law enforcement operations, municipal law, labor law, and employment law.
As a member of the Firm’s litigation team, Mr. Rongaus represents municipalities, public officials, and police officers in defending against constitutional rights claims brought pursuant to Section 1983, employment litigation matters, as well as lawsuits involving the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act. Mr. Rongaus is an experienced civil and criminal litigator and throughout the course of his career has tried over fifty jury trials to verdict. He has represented clients in hundreds of matters at the trial court level in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania, and forty-two out of sixty-seven Pennsylvania County Courts of Common Pleas.
Mr. Rongaus’ litigation practice also extends across the appellate levels and has represented clients before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the Pennsylvania Superior Court. His practice also includes representing employers, individuals and municipalities in State and Federal agencies, including the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.
Mr. Rongaus also represents municipal entities, police departments, and private employers on personnel management issues, employment policies, employee discipline and internal investigations. He also provides advice and representation to municipalities and police unions on collective bargaining matters, unfair labor practice charges and employment grievances, including grievance arbitrations. Additionally, Mr. Rongaus uses his public sector experience and knowledge to help companies and individuals solve problems with federal and state government agencies.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Rongaus spent his career as a prosecutor and law enforcement attorney and has held some of the highest executive positions in Pennsylvania law enforcement. He served as Deputy Chief Counsel with the Pennsylvania State Police, Chief Deputy Attorney General with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and a prosecutor with both the Chester County and Delaware County District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Rongaus is a member of the Chester County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Association, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Mr. Rongaus is a resident of Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he resides with his wife and three children. He is active in numerous community activities, including Chester County Boy Scouts, the First West Chester Fire Company, where he currently serves as Company President. A youth sports coach, including East Side Little League, West Chester LAFA Flag Football, West Chester United Soccer, and YMCA Sports leagues. Mr. Rongaus is also active in Saints Peter and Paul Church’s Catholic Youth League Sports Programs and a Lector at the Parish.
Education
- Villanova University School of Law, Villanova, Pennsylvania, Juris Doctor, 2001
- Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, B.S., Accountancy, 1998
Bar Admissions
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania
Representative Cases:
• Schroeter v. Kedra, 138 S. Ct. 1990, 201 L. Ed. 2d 249 (2018) (Petition for Certiorari before the Supreme Court of the United States involving Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturning the District Court’s grant of qualified immunity to a State Police firearms instructor demonstrating a new gun’s “trigger reset” mechanism who recklessly caused the death of a Trooper during training class.)
• Pennsylvania State Police v. Grove, 640 Pa. 1, 161 A.3d 877 (2017) (affirmed in part / remanded in part on Right to Know Law Appeal where PA Supreme Court’s decision prompted legislative action to create the Act 22 of 2017 which amended the Pennsylvania Wiretapping & Electronic Surveillance Act to allow for judicial process to regulate release of Police Body Camera and Dash Camera footage.)
• Brantley v. Wysocki, et al., 662 Fed.Appx. 138, 2016 WL 6246857 (3rd Cir. 2010) (Motion for summary judgment in favor of PSP Corporal affirmed where defendant was entitled to qualified immunity on malicious prosecution and related claims involving Pennsylvania Wiretapping & Electronic Surveillance Act.)
• Zanetti v. Goss, No. CV 16-379, 2016 WL 6583727, (W.D. Pa. Nov. 4, 2016)(Motion to Dismiss granted on all counts against PSP Commissioner in excessive force, false arrest, failure to train and related state law claims.)
• Fow v. Pawlowski et al., No. 1:12-CV-1970, 2016 WL 7324514, (M.D. Pa. Dec. 16, 2016)(motion for summary judgment granted on all counts in First Amendment, retaliation, malicious prosecution and related state law claims brought by dismissed PSP Trooper against Commissioner, Internal Affairs investigators and criminal investigators.)
• Holt v. Pennsylvania State Police, et al. No. CV 10-5510, 2018 WL 5617856 (E.D. Pa. Oct. 30, 2018), aff’d, 778 F. App’x 123 (3d Cir. 2019) (Affirmed District Courts judgment as a matter of law on complex employment discrimination and retaliation case involving multiple defendants where original multi-million-dollar verdict was reduced at retrial, on damages only, to a jury verdict of $2700.00.)
Selected Speaking Engagements:
• Faculty Member at the Top Gun Drug Training Program, a nationally recognized intensive drug investigation course for law enforcement officers and prosecutors. 2009-2018
• Instructor at Pennsylvania State Police Academy on Pennsylvania and federal law related to:
-Wiretap & Electronic Surveillance, A Certification Course 2008-2016
-Search and Seizure, 2013-2014
-Criminal Procedure, 2013-2016
-Supervisor’s Civil Liability, 2015-2018
• Pennsylvania Governor’s OGC University, Electronic Records and PA Law, 09/2016
• Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of Chief Counsel, The Legal Aspects of LPRS, 06/2016
• Pennsylvania Governor’s OGC University, Law Enforcement Response to Opioids, 06/2017
• Chester County Bar Association, Pennsylvania’s Limited Access Orders and CHRIA, 11/2016
• Chester County Bar Association, PA Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Act, 12/2019
• Baltimore County Prosecutor’s Office, Legality of Real Time Open Source Analysis, 07/2018
• Dauphin County Bar Association, PA Law of Wiretapping & Electronic Surveillance, 11/2015
• PA Bar Institute, Criminal Law Symposium, Limited Access Orders & Expungement, 11/2016
• Philadelphia County Board of Judges, Criminal History Records & Information Act, 05/2018
• Pennsylvania Auto Theft Authority, A Criminal Investigator’s Toolbox, 11/2016
• Pennsylvania Auto Theft Authority, Complex Investigations, 10/2014
• PSP PACIC Training Program, Real Time Open Source Analysis, 03/ 2017, 05/2018
Awards
• 2018 Governor’s Leadership Development Institute for emerging leaders in Government.
• 2017 Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel Excellence Award.
• 2012 National Outstanding Drug Prosecutor Award by the of President of the United States’ Office of National Drug Control Policy.
• 2011 Pennsylvania Narcotics Officers Association Outstanding Prosecutor’s Award
• 2009 Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Award for Excellence.
Andrew M. Rongaus, Esquire
PARTNER
Andrew M. Rongaus is a Partner in the Chester Springs office of Siana Law. He concentrates his practice in the areas of civil rights, public official and police liability, internal investigations, law enforcement operations, municipal law, labor law, and employment law.
As a member of the Firm’s litigation team, Mr. Rongaus represents municipalities, public officials, and police officers in defending against constitutional rights claims brought pursuant to Section 1983, employment litigation matters, as well as lawsuits involving the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act. Mr. Rongaus is an experienced civil and criminal litigator and throughout the course of his career has tried over fifty jury trials to verdict. He has represented clients in hundreds of matters at the trial court level in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania, and forty-two out of sixty-seven Pennsylvania County Courts of Common Pleas.
Mr. Rongaus’ litigation practice also extends across the appellate levels and has represented clients before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the Pennsylvania Superior Court. His practice also includes representing employers, individuals and municipalities in State and Federal agencies, including the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.
Mr. Rongaus also represents municipal entities, police departments, and private employers on personnel management issues, employment policies, employee discipline and internal investigations. He also provides advice and representation to municipalities and police unions on collective bargaining matters, unfair labor practice charges and employment grievances, including grievance arbitrations. Additionally, Mr. Rongaus uses his public sector experience and knowledge to help companies and individuals solve problems with federal and state government agencies.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Rongaus spent his career as a prosecutor and law enforcement attorney and has held some of the highest executive positions in Pennsylvania law enforcement. He served as Deputy Chief Counsel with the Pennsylvania State Police, Chief Deputy Attorney General with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and a prosecutor with both the Chester County and Delaware County District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Rongaus is a member of the Chester County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Association, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Mr. Rongaus is a resident of Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he resides with his wife and three children. He is active in numerous community activities, including Chester County Boy Scouts, the First West Chester Fire Company, where he currently serves as Company President. A youth sports coach, including East Side Little League, West Chester LAFA Flag Football, West Chester United Soccer, and YMCA Sports leagues. Mr. Rongaus is also active in Saints Peter and Paul Church’s Catholic Youth League Sports Programs and a Lector at the Parish.
Education
- Villanova University School of Law, Villanova, Pennsylvania, Juris Doctor, 2001
- Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, B.S., Accountancy, 1998
Bar Admissions
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania
Representative Cases:
• Schroeter v. Kedra, 138 S. Ct. 1990, 201 L. Ed. 2d 249 (2018) (Petition for Certiorari before the Supreme Court of the United States involving Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturning the District Court’s grant of qualified immunity to a State Police firearms instructor demonstrating a new gun’s “trigger reset” mechanism who recklessly caused the death of a Trooper during training class.)
• Pennsylvania State Police v. Grove, 640 Pa. 1, 161 A.3d 877 (2017) (affirmed in part / remanded in part on Right to Know Law Appeal where PA Supreme Court’s decision prompted legislative action to create the Act 22 of 2017 which amended the Pennsylvania Wiretapping & Electronic Surveillance Act to allow for judicial process to regulate release of Police Body Camera and Dash Camera footage.)
• Brantley v. Wysocki, et al., 662 Fed.Appx. 138, 2016 WL 6246857 (3rd Cir. 2010) (Motion for summary judgment in favor of PSP Corporal affirmed where defendant was entitled to qualified immunity on malicious prosecution and related claims involving Pennsylvania Wiretapping & Electronic Surveillance Act.)
• Zanetti v. Goss, No. CV 16-379, 2016 WL 6583727, (W.D. Pa. Nov. 4, 2016)(Motion to Dismiss granted on all counts against PSP Commissioner in excessive force, false arrest, failure to train and related state law claims.)
• Fow v. Pawlowski et al., No. 1:12-CV-1970, 2016 WL 7324514, (M.D. Pa. Dec. 16, 2016)(motion for summary judgment granted on all counts in First Amendment, retaliation, malicious prosecution and related state law claims brought by dismissed PSP Trooper against Commissioner, Internal Affairs investigators and criminal investigators.)
• Holt v. Pennsylvania State Police, et al. No. CV 10-5510, 2018 WL 5617856 (E.D. Pa. Oct. 30, 2018), aff’d, 778 F. App’x 123 (3d Cir. 2019) (Affirmed District Courts judgment as a matter of law on complex employment discrimination and retaliation case involving multiple defendants where original multi-million-dollar verdict was reduced at retrial, on damages only, to a jury verdict of $2700.00.)
Selected Speaking Engagements:
• Faculty Member at the Top Gun Drug Training Program, a nationally recognized intensive drug investigation course for law enforcement officers and prosecutors. 2009-2018
• Instructor at Pennsylvania State Police Academy on Pennsylvania and federal law related to:
-Wiretap & Electronic Surveillance, A Certification Course 2008-2016
-Search and Seizure, 2013-2014
-Criminal Procedure, 2013-2016
-Supervisor’s Civil Liability, 2015-2018
• Pennsylvania Governor’s OGC University, Electronic Records and PA Law, 09/2016
• Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of Chief Counsel, The Legal Aspects of LPRS, 06/2016
• Pennsylvania Governor’s OGC University, Law Enforcement Response to Opioids, 06/2017
• Chester County Bar Association, Pennsylvania’s Limited Access Orders and CHRIA, 11/2016
• Chester County Bar Association, PA Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Act, 12/2019
• Baltimore County Prosecutor’s Office, Legality of Real Time Open Source Analysis, 07/2018
• Dauphin County Bar Association, PA Law of Wiretapping & Electronic Surveillance, 11/2015
• PA Bar Institute, Criminal Law Symposium, Limited Access Orders & Expungement, 11/2016
• Philadelphia County Board of Judges, Criminal History Records & Information Act, 05/2018
• Pennsylvania Auto Theft Authority, A Criminal Investigator’s Toolbox, 11/2016
• Pennsylvania Auto Theft Authority, Complex Investigations, 10/2014
• PSP PACIC Training Program, Real Time Open Source Analysis, 03/ 2017, 05/2018
Awards
• 2018 Governor’s Leadership Development Institute for emerging leaders in Government.
• 2017 Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel Excellence Award.
• 2012 National Outstanding Drug Prosecutor Award by the of President of the United States’ Office of National Drug Control Policy.
• 2011 Pennsylvania Narcotics Officers Association Outstanding Prosecutor’s Award
• 2009 Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Award for Excellence.