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Sanctions watch

Every incident where a lawyer got caught filing AI-fabricated citations. The Hall of Shame.

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251
Incidents tracked
81
Incidents in 2026
$1,813,310
In fines, where reported
186 of 251 report an amount

The curve

Incidents per month

Last 18 months of published incidents, by the date of the court's order.

Apr 2025 Sep 2026

Charting 139 of 251 incidents; the rest are undated or fall outside this window.

Blamed by name

ChatGPT 53 Claude 4 Lexis+ AI 4 Westlaw Precision 4 CoCounsel 3 Copilot 2 AI-assisted legal software 1 Archie 1 ChatOn 1 ClearBrief 1 CoCounsel, Westlaw Precision, Google Gem 1 Descrybe.ai 1 First Drafts 1 Gemini 1 Ghostwriter Legal 1 Google AI 1 Google Scholar 1 Grok 1 Irys 1 vLex Fastcase 1

Counts only incidents where the filing court or the reporting named the tool.

Hall of Shame

All Fined 251 Caught, not sanctioned 199 Warned 125 Referred to the bar 101 Reprimanded 86 Outcome unclear 56 Filing dismissed 37 Suspension 2 Upcoming sanction 1

Showing 91–100 of 251 incidents. Clear filters

Fined $110K
Two lawyers filed 15 fabricated citations and eight invented quotations, and a federal magistrate judge sanctioned them $110,000.
In re Two Oregon Lawyers · U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon · OR
customgpt.ai ↗
The file →
  • In re Two Oregon Lawyers involved two lawyers in Oregon.
  • They filed 15 fabricated citations and eight invented quotations.
  • A federal magistrate judge imposed a $110,000 sanction.
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Oregon.
  • The page says it was the largest such penalty handed down by an Oregon federal judge.
Fined
A Melbourne law firm was ordered to pay costs after it was caught using fake AI-generated citations and incorrect cases.
[Melbourne law firm matter] · a Melbourne law firm · VIC
ia.acs.org.au ↗
The file →
  • A Melbourne law firm was sanctioned in a separate matter.
  • It was caught using fake AI-generated citations and incorrect cases.
  • The firm was ordered to pay costs, but the amount is not given on the page.
  • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  • The article says this happened last month and gives no judge name or AI tool.
Fined $31K
A Canadian tribunal found court materials with AI-fabricated case citations and ordered the lawyer to pay $31,150 in costs.
Giacomini et al. v. University of Toronto Mississauga · Ontario court
cp24.com ↗
The file →
  • Giacomini et al. v. University of Toronto Mississauga; the lawyer was sanctioned
  • Court materials contained AI-fabricated case citations
  • The tribunal ordered $31,150 in costs
  • A Canadian tribunal in Ontario
  • Published June 27, 2026; the article says it was the largest costs award of its kind to date
Fined $4K Claude 2026-08-04
Defense counsel Hilary B. Miller was fined $3,500 and referred to the Grievance Committee after filing two motions containing 16 AI-generated legal errors.
Barteca Intermediate Holdings LLC et al. v. Tacobarn Newtown LLC et al. · Hilary B. Miller · U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut · CT
“Applying the framework discussed above, the Court finds that the first factor—verification and inquiry—weighs in favor of sanctions because Attorney Miller failed to conduct a reasonable human verification of the authorities cited in the challenged filings before submitting them.”
ediscoveryllc.com ↗
The file →
  • Barteca Holdings v. Tacobarn Newtown involved defense attorney Hilary B. Miller.
  • Miller submitted two motions containing 16 errors in citations, quotations, and rules from unverified AI research.
  • The court imposed a $3,500 fine and referred the attorney to the court's Grievance Committee.
  • The case was before the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
  • On August 4, 2026, Judge Vernon D. Oliver found Miller violated Rule 11 after using Claude, OpenLaw, and ChatGPT.
Fined
The Tribunal issued reasons on costs in a matter involving fictitious case authorities filed with AI misuse, and the entry notes costs were ordered.
2026 ONLSTH 112, Reasons for Decision on Costs of Motions · Ontario’s Law Society Tribunal
courtready.ca ↗
The file →
  • 2026 ONLSTH 112; counsel or firm not named on the page
  • Filed fictitious case authorities and the page links it to AI misuse
  • Costs were ordered in the reasons for decision
  • Ontario’s Law Society Tribunal, Ontario
  • Published on the page as a cited decision; no AI tool named
Fined $6K
A Mississippi federal judge disqualified the attorneys and fined Wilson $2,500 and Williams $3,500 after both sides misused AI.
Wilson and Williams matter · Wilson; Williams · federal court in Mississippi · MS
reuters.com ↗
The file →
  • Wilson and Williams matter; Wilson and Williams were sanctioned
  • Both sides misused AI in the lawsuit and the judge disqualified the attorneys
  • Wilson was fined $2,500 and Williams was fined $3,500, totaling $6,000
  • Federal court in Mississippi
  • Date not stated; the article says they were each ordered to pay $1,000
Fined $10K ChatGPT
An attorney filed a state court appeal with 21 of 23 quoted citations hallucinated by ChatGPT and was fined $10,000.
California court appeal matter · California court · CA
nbcnews.com ↗
The file →
  • An unnamed attorney in California was fined.
  • The attorney filed a state court appeal with 21 of 23 quotes hallucinated by ChatGPT.
  • The court imposed a $10,000 fine.
  • California court; state jurisdiction; location not further specified on the page.
  • The article calls it possibly the largest-ever fine over AI fabrications.
Fined $10K ChatGPT
An appeals court in California fined a lawyer $10,000 after nearly all quotations in the briefs were fabricated with AI tools.
In re: OpenAI, Inc. ChatGPT Litigation · California Court of Appeal · CA
““as a warning””
404media.co ↗
The file →
  • An unnamed lawyer was sanctioned in a California appeal.
  • The lawyer filed briefs with nearly all legal quotations fabricated through AI tools.
  • The court imposed a record $10,000 fine.
  • California Court of Appeal, California.
  • The page says the lawyer used ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok; the date is only given as earlier this month.
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