Eric M. Brown, Esquire
Eric M. Brown is a Partner in the Chester Springs office of Siana Law. He practices in the areas of municipal law, labor and employment law, civil rights, public official and police liability, and land use and zoning law.
Mr. Brown serves as solicitor and labor counsel to a number of municipalities throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As Solicitor, Mr. Brown provides advice on the day-to-day operations of municipalities, Sunshine Law, Right to Know Act and statutory bidding compliance, the preparation and interpretation of Ordinances, regulations and contracts, ethics advice, and land use/zoning matters. As Labor Counsel, Mr. Brown provides advice and representation on collective bargaining, including Act 111 interest arbitrations, unfair labor practice charges, and grievance arbitrations. Mr. Brown also advises municipalities on personnel management issues, including appropriate employee policies, employee investigations and discipline, police department management, claims of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. As a member of the Firm’s litigation team, Mr. Brown defends municipalities in federal lawsuits, including constitutional rights claims brought pursuant to Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act and Title VII, including employment discrimination and retaliation, as well as lawsuits brought in state court, including claims involving the Municipalities Planning Code, stormwater management, and the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act.
Mr. Brown is a native of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Brown taught history at West Chester Henderson High School. Mr. Brown has a long history of political and community service, and has held elected office on a local school board.
Mr. Brown is a member of the Federal Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and its Municipal Law section and the Chester County Bar Association and its Municipal and Land Use Law section. Mr. Brown is also a member of a local Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. Mr. Brown is a member of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Solicitors.
Education
Widener University School of Law, Wilmington, Delaware, J.D.
Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, B.S., Secondary Education
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
- Certified Mediator, United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
Recognized by SuperLawyers, 2024 & 2025.
Representative Cases
Hoy v. Cochranton Borough, No. 2013-630 (Crawford County C.C.P. 2015) (summary judgment granted in favor of Borough and its officials in an age and gender discrimination claim in a failure to hire case filed by applicant not selected for chief of police position)
Kotsopoulos v. Ladley, No. 2013-08678-TT (Chester County C.C.P. May 7, 2014) (secured the dismissal of defamation claim against a Township Supervisor)
Spencer v. Cumberland Township, No. 11-1850 (M.D. Pa. January 22, 2014) (obtained jury verdict on behalf of police officer defendants in an excessive force claim)
Kocher v. Larksville Borough, No. 13-1573 (3d Cir. 2013) (affirmed summary judgment in favor of the Borough and Borough Police Chief against a former Borough police officer who had asserted Fourteenth Amendment liberty interest, First Amendment retaliation, and defamation claims following his employment discharge)
Kijek v. Luzerne Borough, No. 11-1642 (M.D. Pa. 2013) (summary judgment granted in favor of Borough and Council members against a former Borough Secretary who asserted a First Amendment free speech, freedom of association and retaliation claim)
Romanick v. Rush Township, 67 A.3d 62 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2013), appeal denied, No. 298 MAL 2013 (Pa. Oct. 9, 2013) (discharge of police chief sustained in Police Tenure Act appeal).
Lease v. Balutis, et al., Slip Copy, No. 07-003, 2012 WL 727536 (M.D. Pa. March 6, 2012) (summary judgment granted in favor of code enforcement officer and against plaintiff property owner who claimed that the code enforcement officer’s enforcement actions against plaintiff violated the First Amendment)
Victoria Gardens Cond. Ass’n v. Kennett Township, 23 A.3d 1098 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2011), app’l denied, 24 A.3d 365 (Pa. 2011) (affirmed the decision of the court of common pleas granting preliminary objections in favor of a township when plaintiff homeowners’ association alleged that the township had unlawfully failed to require a developer to post financial security in an amount sufficient to secure required improvements in the development as required by the MPC and local ordinance)
Santiago v. Warminster Township, et al., 629 F.3d 121 (3rd Cir. 2010) (affirmed the grant of a motion to dismiss filed by a resident alleging an excessive force claim against numerous police officers and a municipal liability claim against the township)
Teeple v. Carabba, et al., 398 Fed.Appx. 814, No. 10-1183, 2010 WL 4249883 (3rd Cir. 2010)(affirmed summary judgment in favor of a police officer in false arrest and malicious prosecution claim brought by a plaintiff alleging that the officer had violated plaintiff’s Fourth Amendment rights by misrepresenting and/or omitting relevant facts in an application for a search warrant)
Knight v. Borough of Chalfont, 375 Fed.Appx. 280, 2010 WL 1473784 (3rd Cir. 2010), cert. denied, 131 S.Ct. 463 (2010) (summary judgment in favor of all municipal defendants affirmed where terminated police officer claimed violations of the First Amendment and Pennsylvania labor law)
Selected Speaking Engagements
• Crazy but true tails from Zoning and Property Maintenance Enforcement, PSATS Annual Conference (April 2024)
• Zoning Trends and Case Law 2023, Pennsylvania Boroughs Association (June 2023)
• Trends in Collective Bargaining, Delaware County Council of Governments (May 2022)
• Under Fire – Keeping Your Zoning Ordinances Protected from Challenges, PSAB (July 2022)
• Zoning Trends 2022-2023: Hipster Weddings, A Different Kind of Farm, Megaladon Warehouses and Other Stranger Things Coming Soon, PSATS Fall Forum (October 2022)
• Coronavirus COVID-19 update to the Chester County Bar Association, Municipal Law Section (March 2020)
• Zoning Ethics, Penn State Extension, Land Use Webinar Series (January 2019)
• Social Media Use by Municipalities: Developing and Enforcing Policies for Public Employees and Officials, Strafford Publications (February 2018)
• Say What?…The First Amendment and Townships, Pennsylvania Association of Township Officials (PSATS) Webinar (August 2017)
• Potential Bias Issues in Zoning and Land Development, Pennsylvania Association of Township Officials (PSATS) Annual Educational Conference, Hershey, PA (April 2017)
• Employment Law 101, Adams County Association of Township Officials, Gettysburg, PA (May 2015)
Eric M. Brown, Esquire
PARTNER
Eric M. Brown is a Partner in the Chester Springs office of Siana Law. He practices in the areas of municipal law, labor and employment law, civil rights, public official and police liability, and land use and zoning law.
Mr. Brown serves as solicitor and labor counsel to a number of municipalities throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As Solicitor, Mr. Brown provides advice on the day-to-day operations of municipalities, Sunshine Law, Right to Know Act and statutory bidding compliance, the preparation and interpretation of Ordinances, regulations and contracts, ethics advice, and land use/zoning matters. As Labor Counsel, Mr. Brown provides advice and representation on collective bargaining, including Act 111 interest arbitrations, unfair labor practice charges, and grievance arbitrations. Mr. Brown also advises municipalities on personnel management issues, including appropriate employee policies, employee investigations and discipline, police department management, claims of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. As a member of the Firm’s litigation team, Mr. Brown defends municipalities in federal lawsuits, including constitutional rights claims brought pursuant to Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act and Title VII, including employment discrimination and retaliation, as well as lawsuits brought in state court, including claims involving the Municipalities Planning Code, stormwater management, and the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act.
Mr. Brown is a native of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Brown taught history at West Chester Henderson High School. Mr. Brown has a long history of political and community service, and has held elected office on a local school board.
Mr. Brown is a member of the Federal Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and its Municipal Law section and the Chester County Bar Association and its Municipal and Land Use Law section. Mr. Brown is also a member of a local Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. Mr. Brown is a member of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Solicitors.
Education
Widener University School of Law, Wilmington, Delaware, J.D.
Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, B.S., Secondary Education
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
- Certified Mediator, United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania
Recognized by SuperLawyers, 2024 & 2025.
Representative Cases
Hoy v. Cochranton Borough, No. 2013-630 (Crawford County C.C.P. 2015) (summary judgment granted in favor of Borough and its officials in an age and gender discrimination claim in a failure to hire case filed by applicant not selected for chief of police position)
Kotsopoulos v. Ladley, No. 2013-08678-TT (Chester County C.C.P. May 7, 2014) (secured the dismissal of defamation claim against a Township Supervisor)
Spencer v. Cumberland Township, No. 11-1850 (M.D. Pa. January 22, 2014) (obtained jury verdict on behalf of police officer defendants in an excessive force claim)
Kocher v. Larksville Borough, No. 13-1573 (3d Cir. 2013) (affirmed summary judgment in favor of the Borough and Borough Police Chief against a former Borough police officer who had asserted Fourteenth Amendment liberty interest, First Amendment retaliation, and defamation claims following his employment discharge)
Kijek v. Luzerne Borough, No. 11-1642 (M.D. Pa. 2013) (summary judgment granted in favor of Borough and Council members against a former Borough Secretary who asserted a First Amendment free speech, freedom of association and retaliation claim)
Romanick v. Rush Township, 67 A.3d 62 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2013), appeal denied, No. 298 MAL 2013 (Pa. Oct. 9, 2013) (discharge of police chief sustained in Police Tenure Act appeal).
Lease v. Balutis, et al., Slip Copy, No. 07-003, 2012 WL 727536 (M.D. Pa. March 6, 2012) (summary judgment granted in favor of code enforcement officer and against plaintiff property owner who claimed that the code enforcement officer’s enforcement actions against plaintiff violated the First Amendment)
Victoria Gardens Cond. Ass’n v. Kennett Township, 23 A.3d 1098 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2011), app’l denied, 24 A.3d 365 (Pa. 2011) (affirmed the decision of the court of common pleas granting preliminary objections in favor of a township when plaintiff homeowners’ association alleged that the township had unlawfully failed to require a developer to post financial security in an amount sufficient to secure required improvements in the development as required by the MPC and local ordinance)
Santiago v. Warminster Township, et al., 629 F.3d 121 (3rd Cir. 2010) (affirmed the grant of a motion to dismiss filed by a resident alleging an excessive force claim against numerous police officers and a municipal liability claim against the township)
Teeple v. Carabba, et al., 398 Fed.Appx. 814, No. 10-1183, 2010 WL 4249883 (3rd Cir. 2010)(affirmed summary judgment in favor of a police officer in false arrest and malicious prosecution claim brought by a plaintiff alleging that the officer had violated plaintiff’s Fourth Amendment rights by misrepresenting and/or omitting relevant facts in an application for a search warrant)
Knight v. Borough of Chalfont, 375 Fed.Appx. 280, 2010 WL 1473784 (3rd Cir. 2010), cert. denied, 131 S.Ct. 463 (2010) (summary judgment in favor of all municipal defendants affirmed where terminated police officer claimed violations of the First Amendment and Pennsylvania labor law)
Selected Speaking Engagements
• Crazy but true tails from Zoning and Property Maintenance Enforcement, PSATS Annual Conference (April 2024)
• Zoning Trends and Case Law 2023, Pennsylvania Boroughs Association (June 2023)
• Trends in Collective Bargaining, Delaware County Council of Governments (May 2022)
• Under Fire – Keeping Your Zoning Ordinances Protected from Challenges, PSAB (July 2022)
• Zoning Trends 2022-2023: Hipster Weddings, A Different Kind of Farm, Megaladon Warehouses and Other Stranger Things Coming Soon, PSATS Fall Forum (October 2022)
• Coronavirus COVID-19 update to the Chester County Bar Association, Municipal Law Section (March 2020)
• Zoning Ethics, Penn State Extension, Land Use Webinar Series (January 2019)
• Social Media Use by Municipalities: Developing and Enforcing Policies for Public Employees and Officials, Strafford Publications (February 2018)
• Say What?…The First Amendment and Townships, Pennsylvania Association of Township Officials (PSATS) Webinar (August 2017)
• Potential Bias Issues in Zoning and Land Development, Pennsylvania Association of Township Officials (PSATS) Annual Educational Conference, Hershey, PA (April 2017)
• Employment Law 101, Adams County Association of Township Officials, Gettysburg, PA (May 2015)