Penalty Amount
$6,500,000
Morgan Stanley failed to properly decommission computer devices containing unencrypted customer data, leading to the sale of devices with personal information at auction and missing servers with potential data. A multistate coalition secured a $6.5 million settlement requiring Morgan Stanley to implement enhanced data security measures.
Morgan Stanley must pay a $6.5 million fine and adopt a comprehensive information security program, including encryption, incident response plans, hardware tracking, and vendor risk assessments.
In-house legal teams should review vendor agreements, especially those involving data destruction, asset disposal, or IT decommissioning services, to ensure they include specific clauses on data security standards, encryption requirements, vendor monitoring, and liability for data breaches. Customer agreements may need enhancements to data protection obligations, and internal policies should address hardware inventory controls and decommissioning procedures. Changes could involve mandating security certifications for vendors, implementing rigorous audit trails for disposed assets, and adding clear remedies for unauthorized data access to prevent incidents like unencrypted data being sold at auction or missing servers.
Entity
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
Also known as: Morgan Stanley
Industry
Financial ServicesOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/attorney-general-james-and-multistate-coalition-secure-65-million-morgan-stanley
morgan stanley aod
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/settlements-agreements/morgan-stanley-aod.pdf
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (Morgan Stanley)"
"a $6.5 million fine"
"Morgan Stanley failed to decommission its computers and erase unencrypted data in certain computer devices that were later auctioned while still containing consumers’ personal information"
$2.6M
New York and Connecticut reached a settlement with Boston Children’s Health Physicians and its IT security provider, XTIUM, after a 2024 breach exposed private information of approximately 825,000 New York residents and 62,871 Connecticut residents. The companies will pay $2.64 million and implement enhanced cybersecurity measures; additional penalties are conditional on violating the settlement.
New York Attorney General Letitia James joined 16 other attorneys general in urging Congress to pass proposed legislation addressing the federal government’s release of Jeffrey Epstein-related records. The press release says DOJ has not fully disclosed the records required by the original law and that personal information of at least 43 victims was exposed in released files; this is a legislative advocacy announcement, not an enforcement action imposing a penalty or remedy.
$1.9M
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a settlement after an investigation found Dollar General stores routinely charged customers more than advertised or posted prices and issued confusing receipts. Dollar General must donate $1.875 million in food and personal items to Foodlink and implement pricing, receipt, training, and audit reforms.
New York Attorney General Letitia James released an updated guide warning voters that AI-generated election content and chatbots may provide misleading information. This is public guidance, not an enforcement action, and the release describes no penalty or privacy violation.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 39 other attorneys general filed a motion in Character Technologies, Inc.’s bankruptcy, citing risks to children and sensitive user information and potential violations of state privacy laws. The coalition asks the court, the company, and any prospective buyer to require meaningful privacy and safety protections; no fine or final remedy is reported.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, the FTC, and six other state attorneys general asked a federal court to hold Martin Shkreli in contempt for allegedly trading pharmaceutical stocks and discussing pharmaceutical companies in violation of his lifetime industry ban. The requested sanctions include divestiture, an accounting of his trading, forfeiture of trading profits, and possible further fines or incarceration; the release describes a request to the court, not a new ruling imposing those measures.