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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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86
Incidents tracked
30
Incidents in 2026
$86,945
In fines, where reported
5 of 86 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 49 of 86 incidents; the rest are undated or fall outside this window.

Blamed by name

ChatGPT 13 CoCounsel 1 Eve 1 Gemini 1 Lexis+ AI 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 21–30 of 86 incidents. Clear filters

Reprimanded ChatGPT
Two outside attorneys cited cases that ChatGPT hallucinated in an unrelated lawsuit and were publicly reprimanded and referred to licensing authorities.
Baltimore Central Booking & Intake Center conditions case · Matthew Reeves and William Lunsford · U.S. District Court · MD
thebanner.com ↗
The file →
  • Matthew Reeves and William Lunsford were the attorneys.
  • They cited cases that ChatGPT hallucinated in an unrelated lawsuit.
  • Judge Anna M. Manasco publicly reprimanded them and referred them to bar authorities.
  • U.S. District Court in Alabama.
  • The article says this happened this year; the page names ChatGPT and the referral.
Reprimanded
The principal of a Victorian boutique firm was reprimanded for breaching the Supreme Court’s guidance on GenAI in litigation.
Reprimand for principal lawyer for using AI in estate litigation · Supreme Court of Victoria · VIC
lawyersweekly.com.au ↗
The file →
  • The principal of a Victorian boutique firm was reprimanded.
  • The page says the lawyer used AI in estate litigation.
  • The sanction was a reprimand.
  • The court was the Supreme Court of Victoria.
  • Published Dec. 31, 2025; no tool, date, or judge quote is given.
Reprimanded
A defendant’s solicitor used AI in opening submissions, producing non-existent citations, and the Victorian Supreme Court reprimanded her.
Re Walker · Victorian Supreme Court
“it was unacceptable for AI to be used by solicitors or barristers in the production of court documents, unless the product of that use is independently and thoroughly verified.”
bnlaw.com.au ↗
The file →
  • Re Walker; the defendant’s solicitor was sanctioned
  • AI was used in preparing opening submissions with hallucinated citations
  • The court imposed a reprimand with no monetary amount stated
  • Victorian Supreme Court, Australia
  • Justice Moore found four unfamiliar authorities chambers could not locate
Reprimanded
A lawyer in Australia used LLM-generated false citations and was stripped of his ability to practice as a principal lawyer.
The Australian incident
socialsciencespace.com ↗
The file →
  • A lawyer in Australia, unnamed on the page, was sanctioned
  • He used a large language model that generated false citations
  • He was stripped of his ability to practice as a principal lawyer
  • The page gives no court or judge name
  • The article says he apologized and the citations were not due to human error or intent to deceive
Reprimanded
A Los Angeles attorney filed appellate briefs containing AI-hallucinated case law quotations and agreed to discipline from the California State Bar.
California State Bar disciplinary matter (Los Angeles attorney) · Los Angeles attorney · California State Bar · CA
law360.com ↗
The file →
  • Los Angeles attorney disciplined by the California State Bar
  • Filed appellate briefs rife with AI-hallucinated case law quotations
  • Agreed to discipline; no amount stated
  • California State Bar in California
  • Feb. 26, 2026 article; stipulation approved Wednesday
Reprimanded $28K
Local counsel Gary Buckles failed to review pleadings containing AI citations and received a public reprimand and a 12-month ban on sponsoring pro hac vice attorneys.
Mattox v. Product Innovations Research, LLC · Gary Buckles · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma · OK
“Before this Court, artificial intelligence is optional. Actual intelligence is mandatory.”
minchellalaw.com ↗
The file →
  • Mattox v. Product Innovations Research, LLC involved local counsel Gary Buckles.
  • Buckles failed to review pleadings filed under his sponsorship that contained AI content.
  • The court issued a public reprimand and a 12-month ban on sponsoring pro hac vice attorneys.
  • The case was in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
  • Buckles treated his role as 'a favor' and abdicated his duties as local counsel.
Reprimanded
A lawyer filed AI-generated citations with real cases but invented quotes inside them, and the Sixth Circuit reprimanded the lawyer and vacated the result.
United States v. Johnson-Ferris · Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
broadbandbreakfast.com ↗
The file →
  • United States v. Johnson-Ferris; lawyer unnamed
  • AI tool cited real cases but invented quotes inside them
  • Sixth Circuit reprimanded the lawyer and vacated the result
  • Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Date not stated; the court appointed new counsel for the defendant
Reprimanded
The Georgia Supreme Court disciplined a prosecutor after finding her AI use led to fabricated and misleading case citations in a murder case.
California court reverses ruling that relied on made-up ... · Georgia Supreme Court · GA
reuters.com ↗
The file →
  • A prosecutor was disciplined in a murder case.
  • Her AI use led to fabricated and misleading case citations.
  • The sanction was a reprimand.
  • The court was the Georgia Supreme Court in Georgia.
  • The article says this happened this month; no AI tool or quoted language is given.
Reprimanded
An attorney filed a brief in Texas with false or incongruous citations from unreviewed AI-generated documents, leading to reciprocal discipline in New York.
Matter of Zareh · First Department · NY
nysba.org ↗
The file →
  • Matter of Zareh involved the plaintiff’s attorney
  • Texas court found the citations and brief were unreviewed AI-generated documents
  • New York imposed reciprocal public censure
  • First Department, New York state proceeding
  • The article says the Texas sanction was a public reprimand
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