New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 19 state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration and U.S. Department of the Treasury over unauthorized access to Americans’ sensitive personal data. The lawsuit alleges the Treasury Department illegally granted Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to its central payment system containing bank account details, Social Security numbers, and other private information, violating federal law and the U.S. Constitution. The coalition seeks an injunction to halt the policy and a declaration that the access expansion is unlawful and unconstitutional.
The coalition seeks a court injunction to halt the Treasury Department’s policy granting DOGE and Elon Musk access to the central payment system, a declaratory judgment that the policy is unlawful and unconstitutional, and a temporary restraining order to immediately stop unauthorized access.
In-house legal teams should review all contracts granting access to sensitive personal data (including bank account details, Social Security numbers, and other citizen data) to ensure access is strictly limited to authorized personnel with valid security clearances. Contracts with government agencies or vendors handling citizen data must include explicit prohibitions on sharing system access with unauthorized third parties, including special government employees or political appointees, and require audit logs for all data access attempts. Teams should also verify that any data access expansion clauses require prior written approval from all relevant data protection authorities to avoid unauthorized disclosure violations.
Entity
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-leads-multistate-coalition-suing-stop-elon-musk-and-doges
state of new york et al v trump doge temporary restraining o
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/state-of-new-york-et-al-v-trump-doge-temporary-restraining-order-memo-2025.pdf
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"Treasury Department’s central payment system"
"in violation of the Constitution"
"unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system"
"jeopardizes Americans’ most sensitive personal information"
"February 7, 2025"
"New York Attorney General Letitia James"
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong filed a lawsuit against President Trump and the U.S. Treasury Department to stop DOGE's unauthorized access to the Treasury's central payment system, which contains sensitive personal information like bank details and Social Security numbers. The lawsuit seeks an injunction and a declaration that the new policy granting access to Elon Musk and DOGE members is unlawful and jeopardizes data security.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 12 attorneys general to announce they will file a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Treasury and DOGE for unlawfully granting Elon Musk and DOGE staff access to sensitive personal information and payment systems. The AGs argue this unauthorized access threatens privacy rights and essential payments for millions of Americans. The lawsuit seeks to revoke access and prevent further interference.
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.