Joseph W. Guzzetta

He regularly drafts privacy policies, data processing agreements, and privacy-related disclosures, counsels clients on the privacy-related aspects of financings and change of control transactions, and responds to data security incidents. His treatise, The Rutter Group’s California Practice Guide: Privacy Law (2023), was repeatedly cited by the California Court of Appeals in a landmark ruling relating to the California Privacy Protection Agency’s regulations issued pursuant to the California Privacy Rights Act amendments to the California Consumer Privacy Act (California Privacy Protection Agency v. Super. Ct. (Cal. Chamber of Commerce), 99 Cal. App. 5th 705 (2024)). The treatise is available from Thomson Reuters and online through Westlaw.

Mr. Guzzetta is also a seasoned trial lawyer of over 20 years. He has extensive experience in all phases of litigation and trial. Mr. Guzzetta routinely prepares cases for trial, engaging in final discovery, drafting pre-trial motions and other papers, and engaging in last-minute settlement discussions. When cases cannot be settled, he has extensive experience trying cases in judicial and non-judicial forums throughout California as first chair trial counsel. He regularly drafts and litigates motions to dismiss, demurrers, discovery motions, motions for summary judgment, in limine motions and other pre- and post-trial motions.

Prior to re-joining Severson in 2024, Mr. Guzzetta was a privacy attorney and litigator at Grellas Shah, LLP in Cupertino, California. Starting in 2020, he worked as an attorney in the cyber/data/privacy group at Cooley, LLP. He has also previously worked for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, in Palo Alto, California, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP in Palo Alto, California.

Mr. Guzzetta lives in Murphys, California with his wife and two children. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking, farming and travel.

Representative Privacy Matters

• Representation of SAAS company in cross-border data transfers, negotiating the terms of data processing agreements and drafting privacy policy.
• Representation of Latin American mobile delivery company in Series D financing.
• Representation of fiduciary and advisory services company in responding to data incident.
• Representation of SAAS provider in connection with password stuffing attack.
• Representation of encrypted messaging provider Wickr, Inc. in acquisition by Amazon.com, Inc.
• Representation of Fastly, Inc. in $775 million acquisition of Signal Sciences, Inc.
• Representation of Pan Pacific International Holdings in acquisition of Gelson’s Markets.
• Representation of Dropbox, Inc. in $165 million acquisition of Docsend, Inc.

Representative Litigation Matters

• Representation as first chair trial counsel of national bank in trial of fraud and negligent misrepresentation claims in Sacramento County Superior Court, resulting in complete defense verdict.
• Representation as first chair trial counsel of automobile finance company in trial of claims against flooring lender in San Bernardino Superior Court, resulting in jury verdict in favor of finance company.
• Representation as first chair trial counsel of national bank in trial of claims for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing in Sacramento County Superior Court, resulting in complete defense verdict.
• Representation as first chair trial counsel of two national banks in trial of claims for violation of California’s Homeowners’ Bill of Rights, negligence and slander of title in Sacramento County Superior Court, resulting in complete defense verdict.