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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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858
Incidents tracked
265
Incidents in 2026
$2,417,608
In fines, where reported
214 of 858 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 450 of 858 incidents; the rest are undated or fall outside this window.

Blamed by name

ChatGPT 151 Claude 9 CoCounsel 8 Copilot 8 Gemini 8 Lexis+ AI 6 AI-assisted legal software 4 Westlaw Precision 4 ChatGPT-4o 2 ChatOn 2 Eve 2 Google AI 2 LEAP 2 Perplexity AI 2 AI Overviews 1 Archie 1 Centient AI 1 ChatGPT-4 1 ClearBrief 1 CoCounsel, Westlaw Precision, Google Gem 1 Descrybe.ai 1 First Drafts 1 GPT-3.5 1 Ghostwriter Legal 1 Google Scholar 1 Grammarly 1 Grok 1 Irys 1 Legal Genius 1 LegalAI 1 MX2.law 1 OpenCase 1 Strongsuit 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
Caught, not sanctioned ChatGPT
Rose Lawyers drafted a will with AI-assisted legal citations; the page does not say any sanctions were imposed.
Re Walker [2025] VSC 714 · Rose Lawyers · Victorian Supreme Court
heirsandsuccesses.com ↗
The file →
  • Re Walker [2025] VSC 714 involved Rose Lawyers drafting the will.
  • The page discusses AI-assisted preparation and verification risks.
  • No sanction or penalty is described on the page.
  • Victorian Supreme Court, Victoria.
  • May 2024 guidelines and a discussion of ChatGPT/Google Gemini appear in the article.
Caught, not sanctioned
The court verified citations in a brief, found false or inaccurate case law, and ordered a procedural measure after the attorney admitted using AI.
Giacomino, César Adrián et al. v. Monserrat, Facundo Damián et al. · Court of Appeals in Civil, Commercial, Family, and Mining Matters of General Roca
iapp.org ↗
The file →
  • Giacomino, César Adrián et al. v. Monserrat, Facundo Damián et al.; attorney unnamed
  • A brief cited false or inaccurate case law, likely generated by AI
  • The court ordered a procedural measure; no sanction amount stated
  • Court of Appeals in Civil, Commercial, Family, and Mining Matters of General Roca
  • No date given; attorney expressly admitted using an AI tool
Warned
A lawyer cited a non-existent case in submissions, and the Board disregarded the hallucinated citation and reminded the applicant that false citations are serious.
Monster Energy Company v Pacific Smoke International Inc. · Trademarks Opposition Board
“This citation appears to be an AI “hallucination,” as discussed in paragraph 5 of Diseño Textil.”

Cases that don't exist

  • Hennes & Mauritz AB v M & S Meat Shops Inc, 2012 TMOB 7
clia.ca ↗
The file →
  • Monster Energy Company v Pacific Smoke International Inc. involved a lawyer citing a case that did not exist.
  • The Board called the citation an AI hallucination and disregarded it.
  • The outcome was a warning, not a monetary sanction.
  • Trademarks Opposition Board, Canada.
  • 2024 TMOB 211; the Board cited Zhang v Chen and Diseño Textil.
Referred to the bar
Lawyers faced disciplinary proceedings after filing an AI-generated brief containing nearly 30 defective citations, misquotes, and non-existent cases.
MyPillow litigation · Lawyers in the MyPillow litigation
corporatecounselnow.com ↗
The file →
  • The MyPillow litigation involved lawyers facing disciplinary proceedings.
  • They filed an AI-generated brief with nearly 30 defective citations, misquotes, and non-existent cases.
  • The page reports disciplinary proceedings, not a completed monetary sanction.
  • No court, judge, or exact date is named on the page.
  • The article says the brief was AI-generated but does not name the tool.
Caught, not sanctioned ChatGPT
Relator’s expert used ChatGPT to draft an expert report with fabricated CMS testimony and bogus citations, and defendants moved to sanction counsel and seek disqualification.
United States ex rel. Khoury v. Mountain West Anesthesia, LLC · U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada · NV
“if fines and public embarrassment were effective deterrents, there would not be so many cases to cite.”
texaslawbook.net ↗
The file →
  • United States ex rel. Khoury v. Mountain West Anesthesia, LLC; relator’s counsel was at issue
  • An expert report used ChatGPT and contained fabricated CMS testimony, invented manuals and miscited regulations
  • Defendants moved for sanctions, fee shifting and disqualification; no sanction order is stated on the page
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, federal court in Nevada
  • Aug. 13 motion; the page says the misconduct may lead to disqualification and dismissal
Caught, not sanctioned
Civil Rights Corps accused Nevada County prosecutors of filing a habeas corpus brief with AI-generated fabricated legal authorities, prompting state Supreme Court attention.
Nevada County prosecutors habeas corpus brief · California Supreme Court · CA
dailyjournal.com ↗
The file →
  • Nevada County prosecutors were accused in a habeas corpus brief matter.
  • Civil Rights Corps said the brief included AI-generated fabricated legal authorities.
  • The page does not report a sanction; only that the issue prompted state Supreme Court attention.
  • California Supreme Court, California.
  • Date and AI tool are not stated on the page.
Caught, not sanctioned
Frederick Knack filed a brief citing a nonexistent Minnesota case and other fake cases generated by AI; the court caught the hallucinations.
State by Sunquist versus Provost · Frederick Knack · Hennepin County Court · MN
“the court wonders if this citation may be the result of an AI generated hallucination”
wral.com ↗
The file →
  • Frederick Knack was the Minnesota attorney named in the filing.
  • He cited a nonexistent 1992 case and other cases after using AI without checking them.
  • The article reports no sanction in this incident.
  • Hennepin County Court in Minnesota was the venue.
  • Judge Lourie Miller said the citation may have been an AI generated hallucination.
Caught, not sanctioned
Three lawyers faced possible career-ending action after AI-generated fake case citations were discovered in a Family Court custody battle.
King's Counsel disciplinary action · Family Court
adelaidenow.com.au ↗
The file →
  • Three lawyers were the subject of the reported action.
  • AI-generated fake case citations were discovered in a custody battle.
  • The reported outcome was possible career loss, not a stated sanction order.
  • The court was Family Court.
  • The article gives no date, judge, tool, or citation strings.

Showing 161–170 of 858.

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