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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 131–140 of 251 incidents. Clear filters

Fined $1K Claude 2026-05-18
A lawyer filed a brief with Claude-generated fabricated quotes and was fined $1,000 plus ordered to take an AI-assistance course.
Herbert Brooks v. Lowes Home Centers LLC · W.D. Louisiana · LA
“Ignorance of the risks of AI usage is no longer an excuse,”
cebudailynews.inquirer.net ↗
The file →
  • Jerry Edwards Jr. sanctioned the lawyer in a Louisiana district court matter.
  • The brief contained seven AI-generated quotes attributed to prior rulings that were false or misrepresented.
  • The court fined him $1,000 and ordered a three-hour AI-assisted legal practice course.
  • Louisiana district court, Louisiana.
  • The sanctions order was issued May 18; the lawyer said a clerk had caught errors in an earlier draft and then he used Claude to fix them.
Fined $2K 2026-05-14
Janelle Melissa Lewis submitted documents containing fabricated case law, leading to a monetary sanction and bar suspension.
In the Matter of Janelle Melissa Lewis, an attorney and counselor-at-law · Janelle Melissa Lewis · App. Div. 1st Dept (NY) · NY
damiencharlotin.com ↗
The file →
  • In the Matter of Janelle Melissa Lewis, an attorney and counselor-at-law, involved Janelle Melissa Lewis using an implied AI tool.
  • The attorney filed documents containing fabricated case law.
  • The attorney received a $1,500 monetary sanction and bar suspension.
  • The incident occurred in the App. Div. 1st Dept (NY), a state court.
  • The sanction was issued on May 14, 2026, due to AI-generated legal fabrications.
Fined 2026-05-12
A lawyer was fined 5,000 EUR and referred to the bar association after including false case quotes in court submissions.
Sentenza n. 1352/2026 · Corte d'Appello Bologna
damiencharlotin.com ↗
The file →
  • Sentenza n. 1352/2026 involving an unnamed lawyer.
  • The lawyer submitted court documents containing two false case quotes from an unidentified AI tool.
  • The court imposed a 5,000 EUR fine and referred counsel to the bar.
  • Bologna Court of Appeal (Italy).
  • Decided May 12, 2026; AI tool unidentified.
Fined $6K 2026-05-11
Blackburn was found in contempt for missing payments on a $6,000 sanction imposed after he filed a brief with a hallucinated AI case citation.
Gardner v. Combs et al. · Tyrone A. Blackburn of T.A. Blackburn PLLC · U.S. Court of International Trade, sitting by designation in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey · NJ
“"I am going to hold you in contempt," Judge Gordon said, "but I am going to issue an oral admonition."”

Cases that don't exist

  • United States v. Masha
law360.com ↗
The file →
  • Gardner v. Combs et al.; Tyrone A. Blackburn of T.A. Blackburn PLLC
  • He filed a brief citing a nonexistent AI-generated case and did not verify it.
  • Judge Gordon imposed a $6,000 fine, later enforcing it through contempt and an oral admonition.
  • U.S. Court of International Trade sitting by designation in the District of New Jersey.
  • May 11, 2026; the judge said he could jail Blackburn but chose a warning instead.
Fined 2026-05-08
A lawyer was fined 3,675 BRL and referred to the bar association for presenting three fabricated case citations in court filings.
Nº 0143435-40.2025.8.16.0000 · TJ Parana
damiencharlotin.com ↗
The file →
  • Nº 0143435-40.2025.8.16.0000 involving an unnamed attorney.
  • Counsel submitted three fabricated case law citations to the court.
  • The court imposed a fine of 3,675 BRL and issued a bar referral.
  • Tribunal de Justiça do Paraná (Brazil).
  • Decided May 8, 2026; implied generative AI use.
Fined $250 2026-05-07
An attorney was publicly reprimanded, ordered to notify their client, and fined $250 after submitting fabricated and misrepresented case law.
Kristina Crist v. Roy Chris West, et al. · W.D. Oklahoma · OK
damiencharlotin.com ↗
The file →
  • Kristina Crist v. Roy Chris West, et al. involving an unnamed attorney.
  • Counsel submitted court filings containing fabricated and misrepresented case law.
  • The court imposed a public reprimand, client notification, and a $250 sanction.
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.
  • Decided May 7, 2026; involved an unidentified AI tool.
Fined $5K 2026-05-07
Judge Wang imposed a $5,000 sanction on Christopher I. Kachouroff and his firm for misrepresenting a real district court decision as binding Tenth Circuit precedent.
Coomer v. Lindell/MyPillow, Inc. · Christopher I. Kachouroff · U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado · CO

Cases that don't exist

  • Capital Solutions, LLC v. Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc., 695 F. Supp. 2d 1149
aiforlegalinstitute.com ↗
The file →
  • Coomer v. Lindell involved attorney Christopher I. Kachouroff and his law firm.
  • Presented a real district court decision as binding Tenth Circuit precedent for a proposition it expressly disclaimed.
  • Court imposed a $5,000 monetary sanction pursuant to Rule 11.
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
  • Order reported on 2026-05-09 highlights sanctions for misattributing and misquoting real authority.
Fined $1K 2026-05-01
Barsotti filed arguments citing three nonexistent cases; the magistrate fined her $1,000 and ordered an hour of AI-ethics training.
Jessica Barsotti · Jessica Barsotti · U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson · CA
“The Court does not prohibit or oppose the use of artificial intelligence in legal advocacy, so long as counsel independently verifies the accuracy of AI-generated content.”
sfchronicle.com ↗
The file →
  • Jessica Barsotti filed arguments in the BART case using three nonexistent cases.
  • A federal magistrate found the citations were evidently produced by AI.
  • The court fined her $1,000 and ordered one hour of training.
  • U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixson, federal court in California.
  • Ruling this month; the judge said counsel must independently verify AI-generated content.
Fined $2K Lexis+ AI 2026-04-28
A lawyer was sanctioned $2,500 and ordered to report to other courts after submitting fabricated case law produced via LexisNexis+ (Protégé).
Tekoma Chaney v. Transdev Services Inc. et al. · C.D. California · CA
habeas.ai ↗
The file →
  • Tekoma Chaney v. Transdev Services Inc. et al. involved an unnamed lawyer.
  • The attorney submitted fabricated case law generated by an AI tool.
  • The court imposed a $2,500 monetary sanction and reporting to other courts.
  • The case was heard in the Central District of California.
  • Decided on April 28, 2026, using LexisNexis+ (Protégé).
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