Former US President Donald Trump and his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the US federal government over leaked tax information.
The civil complaint, submitted in Miami federal court, alleges that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department failed to safeguard their business and personal tax returns, allowing confidential data to be disclosed by a former IRS contractor, Charles “Chaz” Littlejohn, who is now serving five years in prison.
Trump’s lawsuit claims the leaks caused serious reputational and financial harm, publicly embarrassed the family, and unfairly portrayed them in a negative light through reports published by The New York Times and ProPublica.
Littlejohn had previously admitted to stealing tax information from Trump and thousands of other wealthy Americans while working as a contractor for the IRS. According to the lawsuit, he used the data to further his own political agenda, believing Trump to be a “threat to democracy.”
Trump has a long history of not disclosing tax returns publicly, citing audits in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. In 2020, The New York Times revealed he paid just $750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency, and nothing in 10 of the previous 15 years. Trump later released the documents voluntarily in 2022.
The complaint argues that both the IRS and Treasury Department had a legal duty to protect taxpayer data but failed to implement safeguards, directly enabling the leaks. Trump and his family say the breach has harmed their businesses and public standing.
This lawsuit marks the latest chapter in Trump’s ongoing legal battles, highlighting concerns over privacy, security of government-held financial data, and the political ramifications of high-profile tax disclosures.