Nora E. Wetzel

Nora E. Wetzel

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Nora Wetzel is a commercial litigation attorney in Burke’s San Francisco office with a focus in commercial real estate and data privacy matters.  Nora handles eminent domain actions and real estate litigation involving purchase and sale, leaseholds, land-use litigation, as well as general commercial matters.  She also advises clients regarding their compliance with federal and state privacy laws and security breach notification laws.

Nora provides prompt and efficient legal service to public entities, healthcare entities and related businesses, educational institutions, retailers, commercial landlords and tenants, business owners, property owners, developers and public utilities on litigation matters involving eminent domain lawsuits, commercial real estate disputes, cybersecurity and privacy, and breach of contract claims .

Nora has jury trial and mediation experience, as well as regulatory compliance experience in connection with state attorneys general and the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Nora has been designated as a Certified Information Privacy Professional, United States (CIPP/US) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

  • Water District v. Landowner­ – October 2022. Represented a public agency condemning a portion of property adjacent to a canal to rebuild a portion of the canal. Reached a settlement on the eve of selecting a jury for trial.
  • Flood Control District v. Landowner – August 2022. Represented the Flood Control District to settle short of trial multiple condemnation cases for a flood control project.
  • Public Utility v. Landowner – November 2017. Represented the public utility to successfully resolve several cases condemning a portion of agricultural land for a natural gas pipeline project.
  • Plaintiff v. Home Goods Store – March 2016.  Summary Judgment.  Obtained summary judgment in a lease dispute for a major corporate client after the client’s landlord asserted two years into the option term of a long-term lease that the exercise of the option had carried with it a rental adjustment that would result in almost $13 million in additional rent over the option term.
  • Plaintiff v. Home Improvement Retailer – July 2015.  Trial Verdict – Jury.  Obtained a defense verdict for the client, an international home improvements retailer that faced eviction from a property where it operates a major retail store under a long-term lease. The client was sued by its landlord in unlawful detainer for allegedly failing to pay the correct rent under a complex formula disputed by the parties for many years.  After an eight-day trial, the jury found that the rent claimed by the landlord was an unreasonable estimate of the amount due, and rendered a defense verdict.
  • Tenant v. SF High Rise Owner and Manager – April 2014.  Appellate Ruling.  Won an appellate victory for the clients, the owner and manager of a San Francisco high-rise office building, in California state court.  Obtained dismissals of all claims through a series of motions in the trial court, and the plaintiff appealed the dismissals of six claims.  The Court of Appeal affirmed all the trial court’s rulings.
  • Assisted a police department with a business email compromise breach involving unauthorized access of information related to ongoing investigations.
  • Counseled and advised the client, a dental practice, regarding compliance with all state and federal regulatory schemes, including HIPAA and California state law, relating to a data breach in connection with a theft of an external hard drive affecting patients residing in over 36 different states, in conjunction with managing notification to all affected patients and pertinent government enforcement agencies. Successfully handled investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights, without any fines or sanctions imposed on the client.
  • Advised the client, a major university hospital, regarding compliance with all state and federal regulatory schemes relating to a spear-phishing attack affecting financial and personal health information of employees and their dependents.
  • Navigated a regional hospital through a data breach caused by a break-in and theft of paper and electronic records involving patient health information and financial information.  Advised the client regarding compliance with all state and federal regulatory schemes, including HIPAA and California state law. Managed all required notifications including individual notice, substitute and media notice under HIPAA and California state law, notification to all pertinent state and federal regulatory agencies, and notification to card organizations and credit monitoring agencies.

  • J.D., magna cum laude, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 2012
  • B.A., cum laude, Cornell University, 2007
  • State Bar of California
  • Oregon State Bar
  • Washington State Bar
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Central District of California
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of California
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of California