Elon Musk, others face class action over DOGE access to taxpayer data

Musk DOGE class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: A group of taxpayers and recipients of government benefits filed a class action lawsuit against Elon Musk, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the Department of the Treasury and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
• Why: The plaintiffs claim Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) unlawfully accessed federal computers containing the personal and financial information of millions of individuals.
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in the District of Columbia federal court.

Elon Musk is facing a class action lawsuit alleging that he and members of his DOGE team unlawfully obtained access to the personal and financial information of millions of individuals in an “unprecedented” and massive intrusion into their privacy.

Plaintiffs Andrea Gribbon, Cherice Prater, Helga Hertlein, Donald Custer, Lynn Boisrond and Dennis Titko filed the class action complaint against Musk, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the Department of the Treasury and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Feb. 12 in a Washington, D.C., federal court.

The plaintiffs claim the federal agencies, along with Bessent, unlawfully disclosed the personal and financial information contained in their records to Musk and other members of DOGE without a legitimate need for it.

“Millions of people cannot avoid engaging in financial transactions with the federal government and, therefore, cannot avoid having their sensitive personal and financial information maintained in government records,” the Musk DOGE class action alleges.

Musk’s DOGE team had ‘full access’ to Treasury payment system, lawsuit claims

According to the lawsuit, Musk’s DOGE team was given “full access” to the Treasury’s payment system, which the class action lawsuit claims contains sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, home addresses, email addresses and bank account information of millions of individuals.

The plaintiffs argue Musk’s DOGE team was allegedly granted access to the Treasury’s payment system without undergoing the necessary security clearance process or having a legitimate need for the data.

DOGE also obtained unauthorized access to the Department of Education’s computer systems, giving them access to student loan data, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth and contact information for millions of federal student loan borrowers, the DOGE class action lawsuit states.

The plaintiffs claim Musk and the other defendants violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the Privacy Act of 1974.

Gribbon and the other plaintiffs demand a jury trial and request declaratory and injunctive relief and an award of compensatory and statutory damages for themselves and all class members.

What do you think of the claims in this class action lawsuit against Elon Musk and DOGE? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiffs are represented by Gary E. Mason, Danielle L. Perry and Salena J. Chowdhury of Mason LLP.

The Elon Musk DOGE class action lawsuit is Gribbon, et al. v. Elon Musk, et al., Case No. 1:25-cv-00422, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

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