President Donald Trump, along with his sons and the Trump Organization, has filed a civil lawsuit against the IRS and the US Treasury Department, seeking $10 billion in damages. The lawsuit focuses on a former IRS contractor, Charles “Chaz” Littlejohn, who accessed and leaked confidential taxpayer information. Littlejohn, now serving a prison sentence, was found guilty of unlawfully disclosing tax records.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants caused reputational and financial harm to Trump and his family, tarnishing their business reputations. Trump and the plaintiffs argue that the IRS failed to protect their tax data as required by federal statutes. Littlejohn accessed and disclosed tax information related to Trump and his family between 2018 and 2020, which was later used by media outlets.
The filing seeks statutory and punitive damages, as well as recovery of legal costs, citing the extensive breach involving multiple years of tax returns. This lawsuit follows the cancellation of contracts with the consulting firm that employed Littlejohn. Littlejohn was sentenced to five years in prison for knowingly disclosing confidential tax data, which raised concerns about the IRS’s ability to safeguard financial information.
The IRS, which acknowledged security lapses post-Littlejohn’s case, has not commented on the lawsuit. In a similar case involving hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, the IRS issued an apology and took steps to address the breach.
