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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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199
Incidents tracked
40
Incidents in 2026
$11,578
In fines, where reported
3 of 199 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 75 of 199 incidents; the rest are undated or fall outside this window.

Blamed by name

ChatGPT 32 Gemini 4 Claude 2 Perplexity AI 2 AI Overviews 1 ChatGPT-4o 1 ChatOn 1 Eve 1 Grammarly 1 MX2.law 1 OpenCase 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 126 Referred to the bar 98 Reprimanded 85 Outcome unclear 53 Filing dismissed 36 Suspension 2 Upcoming sanction 1

Showing 31–40 of 199 incidents. Clear filters

Caught, not sanctioned ChatGPT
A law school intern used ChatGPT for legal research, and an early-draft motion-to-dismiss opinion with fake quotes and misstated outcomes was withdrawn.
Julien Xavier Neals opinion · Julien Xavier Neals · U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey · NJ
“In doing so, the intern acted without authorization, without disclosure, and contrary to not only chambers policy but also the relevant law school policy.”
abajournal.com ↗
The file →
  • Julien Xavier Neals, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
  • A law school intern used ChatGPT and the opinion misstated case outcomes and used fake quotes.
  • The opinion was withdrawn; no sanction is stated on the page.
  • District of New Jersey; federal court.
  • Neals said the intern acted without authorization, without disclosure, and contrary to chambers and law school policy.
Caught, not sanctioned
Attorney Michael Fourte filed a brief using AI citations and quotes, and the court criticized him for relying on unvetted AI.
Michael Fourte · Michael Fourte · New York Supreme Court · NY
“Counsel relied upon unvetted AI – in his telling, via inadequately supervised colleagues – to defend his use of unvetted AI”
cybernews.com ↗
The file →
  • Michael Fourte defended himself in New York Supreme Court.
  • He submitted a brief using AI citations and quotes written with a chatbot.
  • The page does not report a formal sanction or amount for this incident.
  • The court was the New York Supreme Court in New York.
  • Judge Joel Coehn wrote the quoted criticism about unvetted AI.
Caught, not sanctioned ChatGPT
Michael Cohen gave his lawyer AI-generated citations, and fake cases ended up in a real court filing.
Michael Cohen matter · Michael Cohen · U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York · NY
“the attorneys’ actions were “embarrassing and certainly negligent.””
medium.com ↗
The file →
  • Michael Cohen and his lawyer were involved.
  • AI-generated citations were given to the lawyer and filed in court.
  • The page says they got sanctioned, but gives no order details.
  • No court, judge, or location is named on the page.
  • ChatGPT is identified as the tool used.
Caught, not sanctioned
A San Diego judge denied sanctions but condemned Tyson & Mendes for miscited and non-existent authority, factual misstatements, and unverified AI-sourced assertions.
Tyson & Mendes · Tyson & Mendes · San Diego court · CA
dailyjournal.com ↗
The file →
  • Tyson & Mendes was the firm criticized by the San Diego judge.
  • The filing contained miscited and non-existent authority and AI-sourced assertions.
  • The court denied sanctions despite condemning the conduct.
  • The court was in San Diego, California.
  • The article does not name an AI tool or quote the judge in the excerpt provided.
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
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.
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