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.
The federal court granted a temporary restraining order on February 8, 2025, blocking Elon Musk and DOGE from accessing Americans’ personal information via the Treasury Department’s central payment system and ordering the immediate destruction of all copies of records obtained. The coalition of 12 attorneys general is seeking a preliminary injunction to continue barring unauthorized access to the personal data.
In-house legal teams should review all contracts with government agencies, particularly those involving access to personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank account details. Key clauses to update include data access authorization (ensuring only permitted parties have access), data destruction requirements, breach notification for unauthorized government access, and restrictions on third-party access to personal data. Vendor contracts processing personal data for government clients should also include requirements to comply with court orders to destroy data and block unauthorized access.
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Trump administration
Also known as: Trump Administration
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OtherOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-and-11-attorneys-general-release-joint-statement-lawsuit
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https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"Trump administration"
"The Constitution gives Congress – not the President – primary control over federal spending."
"illegally granting Elon Musk and members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to Americans’ private information"
"unauthorized access to the Social Security numbers, bank account information, and other private data of tens of millions of Americans"
"got into our nation’s central payment system in the Treasury Department, giving them unauthorized access to the Social Security numbers, bank account information, and other private data of tens of millions of Americans"
"February 8"
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.
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.
$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.
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.
$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.
$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.