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.
$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.