New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by 20 other states and Kentucky, filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's policy requiring states to disclose personal information of SNAP recipients to federal agencies. The policy violates privacy laws by demanding sensitive data like Social Security numbers for potential immigration enforcement. The coalition seeks a court injunction to stop the illegal data sharing.
The coalition is seeking a court order declaring the USDA's data demand illegal and enjoining the disclosure of SNAP recipients' personal information to other federal agencies for non-program purposes.
In-house legal teams should review all agreements where the company (as a state contractor, vendor, or data processor) handles SNAP or other public assistance program data. Focus on data sharing agreements, data processing addendums (DPAs), and any clauses governing the disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) to federal agencies. Specific clauses to scrutinize include those permitting data sharing for 'program administration,' 'law enforcement purposes,' or 'compliance with federal directives.' Changes may be needed to explicitly prohibit the use of SNAP data for immigration enforcement absent a warrant or court order, require prior notice and an opportunity to object to such data transfers, and mandate data minimization (e.g., limiting shared data to only what is strictly necessary for SNAP administration). Contracts should also be updated to reflect the legal risks of complying with a potentially unlawful federal mandate and include indemnification provisions related to privacy violations.
Entity
United States Department of Agriculture
Also known as: USDA
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-takes-action-protect-sensitive-personal-information-tens
state of california et al v united states department of agri
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/state-of-california-et-al-v-united-states-department-of-agriculture-complaint-2025.pdf
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 20 other states sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stop its demand for personal information of SNAP recipients for immigration enforcement. The District Court issued a temporary restraining order blocking USDA's demand and preventing funding cuts, citing violations of laws protecting SNAP data confidentiality.
$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
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