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.
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U.S. Department of the Treasury
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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 issued a consumer alert on May 18, 2026, warning businesses against engaging in price gouging on transportation services during the Long Island Rail Road strike. The alert reminds businesses that New York’s price gouging laws prohibit unconscionable price increases on essential goods and services during market disruptions, with potential penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. No specific enforcement action against a particular entity was announced, only a general warning for businesses and a call for consumers to report suspected price gouging.
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert on May 18, 2026, warning residents of potential price gouging by transportation service providers during the Long Island Rail Road strike. The alert reminds businesses that New York’s price gouging laws prohibit unconscionable price increases on essential services like transportation during market disruptions. No specific privacy violations or enforcement actions against individual entities were announced in the alert.
This press release announces New York Attorney General Letitia James leading a coalition of 21 state attorneys general, the District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania’s Governor in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to stay a Fifth Circuit ruling that would reinstate in-person dispensing requirements for mifepristone, a medication used for abortion. The coalition argues the ruling is scientifically unsupported, would restrict telehealth access to reproductive care, and undermines state sovereignty over abortion policy post-Dobbs. This is not a privacy-related enforcement action, as the content addresses reproductive health policy rather than data privacy violations.
$5.0M
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a $5 million settlement from cryptocurrency platform Uphold HQ, Inc. for promoting Cred’s fraudulent CredEarn investment product as safe and reliable, when Cred was making risky loans to uncreditworthy borrowers in China. Uphold also falsely claimed Cred had comprehensive insurance and promoted the product without registering as a broker or commodity broker-dealer under New York law. As part of the settlement, Uphold will pay $5 million to harmed investors, remit $545,189 from Cred’s bankruptcy to customers, improve due diligence policies for third-party products, and register as a broker with the OAG.