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.
$240K
The New York Attorney General investigated a group of debt buyers for filing foreclosure actions seeking payment of long-expired mortgage debts. The companies agreed to pay $240,000 in penalties and more than $242,000 in consumer restitution, stop seeking payment of time-barred debts, and amend claims in pending foreclosure cases.
$240K
New York Attorney General Letitia James reached an agreement with debt buyers that allegedly filed foreclosure lawsuits seeking payment on expired mortgage debt. The companies must pay $240,000 in penalties and more than $242,000 in restitution, and stop seeking expired payments in ongoing and future cases.
$6.0M
The New York Attorney General secured disgorgement settlements totaling $5,975,861 from four promoters of NovaTech and AWS Mining over fraudulent investment claims and an illegal pyramid scheme. The promoters were permanently banned from the securities, commodities, and cryptocurrency industries; the Attorney General separately asked the court to order NovaTech’s founders to pay $1.3 billion, which was not yet an order.
$98K
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a settlement after T-Mobile raised prices on plans it had advertised with a promise that prices would never change. T-Mobile must offer affected customers refunds and other benefits, honor price guarantees through at least 2029 for customers who remain, clearly disclose limitations on future guarantees, and pay New York $98,000.
$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.