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
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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.
$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.