Court Rules
All enforcement actions
Enforcement ActionLow RiskMultistate

NY AG Sues Trump Administration Over Unauthorized Treasury Data Access

Trump administrationFebruary 7, 2025New York Attorney General

Summary

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 19 states in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration for illegally granting Elon Musk and DOGE access to the Treasury's payment system, exposing Americans' sensitive personal information. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to halt this policy and a declaration that it is unlawful and unconstitutional.

Remedy

The coalition is seeking an injunction to prevent expanded access to the Treasury payment system and a declaratory judgment that the policy change is unlawful and unconstitutional.

Injunction

Contract Impact

In-house legal teams should review all contracts with government entities, federal contractors, and vendors handling U.S. Treasury data or sensitive personal information. Focus on clauses governing data access rights, security clearance requirements, compliance with federal data protection laws, and restrictions on third-party disclosures. Specific clauses to scrutinize include data security protocols, audit rights, breach notification obligations, and limitations on sub-contractor access. Contracts may need amendments to explicitly prohibit unauthorized access to federal payment systems, require immediate reporting of security incidents involving Treasury data, and mandate adherence to federal access control standards. Vendors with access to government financial systems should be required to certify compliance with Treasury Department security policies and undergo regular independent audits.

Contract Search Terms

data access authorizationfederal system compliancesensitive data protectionunauthorized disclosure clausesecurity clearance requirementsgovernment employee restrictionsaudit rights for government dataconfidential information safeguardsTreasury payment system accessdata handling addendum

Violation Types

Entity Details

Entity

Trump administration

Also known as: Trump Administration

Industry

Other

Multistate Coalition

ArizonaCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareHawaiiIllinoisMaineMarylandMassachusettsMinnesotaNevadaNew JerseyNorth CarolinaOregonRhode IslandVermontWisconsin

Official Sources

Related Enforcement Actions

NY

Trump administration

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 11 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration for illegally granting Elon Musk and DOGE unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system, exposing Social Security numbers, bank account information, and other private data of tens of millions of Americans. A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order on February 8, 2025, blocking access and ordering destruction of all obtained records, with the coalition seeking a preliminary injunction to continue the bar on unauthorized access.

NY

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

New York Attorney General Letitia James joined a coalition lawsuit challenging NHTSA’s rollback of federal fuel economy standards. The coalition alleges that the final rule violates federal law and asks the court to strike it down; the press release describes no privacy violations or monetary penalty.

NY

Sandoz Inc. and Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc.

$400.0M

New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 47 other attorneys general secured a $400 million settlement with Sandoz Inc. and Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc. over an alleged scheme to coordinate generic drug prices and reduce competition. The settlement provides for consumer compensation and requires Sandoz to implement antitrust compliance reforms, including annual staff training and a Chief Compliance Officer.

NY

New York Attorney General's Office

New York Attorney General Letitia James joined eight other attorneys general in issuing a statement criticizing a DOJ judicial misconduct complaint against nearly all federal district court judges in Minnesota. The release concerns judicial independence, not a privacy enforcement action; it announces no penalty or privacy-related remedy.

NY

Evolutions Festival LLC and 845 Vibrations LLC

$5.9M

New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Evolutions Festival LLC and 845 Vibrations LLC over the cancellation of the 2025 festival and their failure to refund ticket holders and vendors. The state alleges violations of laws governing advance ticket-sale funds and seeks restitution, civil penalties of $5,000 for each of 1,185 alleged violations, and an order requiring a $500,000 bond before the organizers can hold future cultural events in New York.

NY

No specific company named

$25K

New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert warning businesses not to charge unconscionably excessive prices for essential goods and services during the storm emergency. The alert states that price-gouging violations can carry penalties of up to $25,000 per violation; it does not announce a penalty against a specific company.