Former U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), seeking $10 billion in damages over the alleged leaking of his tax returns, which he claims harmed his business reputation.
The lawsuit, filed by Trump in his personal capacity along with his two eldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., and their family business, The Trump Organization, accuses the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department of failing to safeguard the confidentiality of their tax records.
According to the lawsuit, the tax documents were leaked to the press by Charles “Chaz” Littlejohn, a former IRS employee who worked from May 2019 to September 2020.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Miami, asserts that the leak caused significant reputational and financial harm to the plaintiffs, unfairly tarnishing their business reputations, publicly embarrassing them, and negatively impacting Trump and his family’s public image.
In 2023, Littlejohn pleaded guilty to leaking Trump’s tax returns and is currently serving a five-year prison sentence.
The leaked tax returns became a major point of public scrutiny during Trump’s presidency. In September 2020, The New York Times reported that Trump had paid just $750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017, and none at all in 10 of the previous 15 years. This revelation came after Trump repeatedly refused to release his tax returns during his campaign, breaking with the tradition of presidential candidates.
This lawsuit is not the first legal action Trump has taken against the federal government. Previously, Trump sought $230 million from the U.S. Department of Justice over investigations related to his handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
