U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and his own Treasury Department, accusing the agencies of failing to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of his tax returns to the media in 2019 and 2020.
The suit, lodged in Miami federal court, also includes Trump’s two oldest sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., along with the Trump Organization.
The complaint names both the IRS and Treasury as defendants.
According to the filing, the agencies failed to take “mandatory precautions” to stop former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn from leaking confidential tax records to outlets such as the New York Times and ProPublica.
“Plaintiffs had no reason to believe that an unauthorized disclosure had occurred for at least two reasons. First, the New York Times reporting did not state that the information came from the IRS, and second, the IRS Commissioner supposedly investigated and found that the disclosure did not come from the IRS,” the lawsuit states.
Alleged Harm and Damages
The plaintiffs argue they suffered “significant and irreparable harm” to their reputations and financial interests.
They are seeking punitive damages, claiming the leaks were either intentional or the result of gross negligence.
The lawsuit comes just days after the Treasury Department announced it was canceling contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton, the government contractor that employed Littlejohn while he worked with the IRS.
Federal prosecutors previously said Littlejohn deliberately sought the IRS role to gain access to tax returns, later leaking them to the press.
His disclosures fueled investigative reports about Trump’s finances published by the New York Times and ProPublica beginning in 2020.
Federal law allows individuals to sue for breaches of tax confidentiality, but such lawsuits must be filed within a two-year window.
The Trumps argue they did not learn the IRS was the source of the leaks until they received formal notice from the Treasury Department much later, making their case timely.
The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of Florida, with Trump represented by his personal legal team led by attorney Alex Britto.
The case sets up a rare confrontation between Trump’s lawyers and his own Justice Department.
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