Consumers Affected
17,000,000
A coalition of 21 attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, DHS, and AAMVA to prevent the federal government from obtaining a database of personal information of 17 million commercial driver's license holders. The lawsuits allege the federal government violated federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act by demanding the data without notice or guardrails, and threatening to withhold $10 million in federal funding if AAMVA refused.
The coalition seeks an emergency order to prevent the data from being turned over, and a permanent injunction against the federal government's demand for the database.
In-house legal teams should review contracts with government agencies and data sharing agreements to ensure they include robust data protection clauses, clear data ownership provisions, and safeguards against unauthorized data transfers. They should also verify that any agreements with third-party vendors handling personal data include provisions for compliance with federal privacy laws and notification requirements. Additionally, contracts should address the handling of government requests for data and include mechanisms for challenging unlawful demands.
Entity
U.S. Department of Transportation
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://www.oag.state.va.us/media-center/news-releases/3090-attorney-general-jones-co-leads-lawsuit-against-trump-administration-for-unlawfully-demanding-personal-information-of-cdl-drivers
Virginia Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://www.oag.state.va.us/consumer-protection/
"the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)"
"threatening to withhold $10 million in federal funding"
"violating multiple federal privacy laws"
"Administrative Procedure Act"
"secretly setting up their own database with records extorted from AAMVA, with no guardrails on the use or sharing of drivers’ Social Security numbers and other personal information, and no notice to the public."
Attorney General Jay Jones and a coalition of 24 attorneys general obtained a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from demanding a database of state-owned records containing personal information of 17 million CDL drivers from AAMVA and from terminating over $10 million in federal funding. The lawsuits allege DOT, FMCSA, and DHS violated federal privacy laws by secretly creating a database with no guardrails on use or sharing of Social Security numbers and no public notice.
Attorney General Jay Jones and a coalition of 21 attorneys general obtained a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from demanding a database of state-owned records containing sensitive personal information of 17 million commercial drivers from AAMVA. The lawsuits allege the federal agencies violated federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act by seeking to acquire the data without guardrails or public notice.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 22 attorneys general plus Pennsylvania secured a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from seizing the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of 17 million commercial drivers nationwide, including nearly 500,000 New Yorkers. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted the TRO, preventing the federal government from accessing the data or cutting off access to the critical database.
Attorney General Tong and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and DHS to block demands for the personal information of 17 million CDL drivers. The lawsuits allege violations of federal privacy laws and the Administrative Procedure Act, and seek an emergency order to prevent the data transfer.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 21 other attorneys general and Pennsylvania sued the U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Homeland Security to block the federal government from seizing the personal data of 17 million commercial drivers from the CDLIS database. The coalition argues the demands violate federal privacy laws and the Constitution, and seeks an injunction to prevent the data transfer.
Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a coalition of 21 attorneys general and Pennsylvania filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA, and AAMVA to block demands for a database containing personal information of 17 million commercial drivers. The federal government threatened to withhold $10 million in funding unless the data was turned over, which the coalition argues violates privacy law.