legaltech.fyi Beta

Tracker

Sanctions watch

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

Embed this
5
Incidents tracked
2
Incidents in 2026
$0
In fines, where reported
0 of 5 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

Blamed by name

ChatGPT 19 Copilot 5 AI-assisted legal software 2 ChatGPT-4o 1 Claude 1 CoCounsel 1 Lexis+ AI 1 Strongsuit 1

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

Hall of Shame

All Warned 5 Fined 2 Referred to the bar 1

Showing 1–5 of 5 incidents involving Copilot. Clear filters

Warned Copilot 2026-08-01
Paul Held cited fake cases in court papers, and the South Carolina bankruptcy court ordered him to complete continuing legal education, including AI ethics training.
In re Richburg · Paul Held · South Carolina bankruptcy court · SC
““for his blind reliance on a technological tool which he did not seem to fully understand.””
news.bloomberglaw.com ↗
The file →
  • In re Richburg; solo practitioner in South Carolina
  • He used Microsoft CoPilot to find cases and filed them without checking they existed
  • No monetary sanctions; the court required AI-ethics CLE
  • Bankruptcy court in South Carolina
  • Date not given; court called it a lesson learned for the bar in general
Warned Copilot 2025-12-11
Dana McClain filed a pleading with AI-generated citations that could not be verified, and the Arkansas Supreme Court issued a show-cause order.
Dana McClain · Dana McClain · Arkansas Supreme Court · AR
“In its order, the Supreme Court reminded attorneys they are responsible for the accuracy of all filings and warned that misuse of artificial intelligence in legal work could result in discipline, including substantial fines, suspension or loss of the privilege to practice law in Arkansas.”
ktlo.com ↗
The file →
  • Dana McClain was the Arkansas attorney involved.
  • She filed court documents containing AI-generated citations that could not be verified.
  • The Arkansas Supreme Court issued a show-cause order; the article does not report a monetary sanction.
  • Arkansas Supreme Court, Arkansas.
  • Dec. 11, 2025; she said she used Microsoft Office Copilot to draft the response and failed to verify the citations.
Warned Copilot 2025-09-29
A lawyer filed fabricated and misrepresented case law using Microsoft Copilot, and the tribunal issued a show-cause order.
ANPV & SAPV v Secretary of State for the Home Department · Upper Tribunal
damiencharlotin.com ↗
The file →
  • ANPV & SAPV v Secretary of State for the Home Department involved a lawyer filing.
  • Microsoft Copilot was the named AI tool.
  • The filing contained fabricated and misrepresented case law, and the tribunal issued a show-cause order.
  • Upper Tribunal, UK.
  • 29 September 2025; the page lists a show-cause order.
Warned Copilot 2025-07-23
Lawyer used Copilot resulting in false legal quotes and was ordered to undergo continuing legal education.
Vita Law Offices v. Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P. · S.D. Florida · FL
damiencharlotin.com ↗
The file →
  • Vita Law Offices v. Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P. involving an attorney
  • Counsel submitted false quotes from case law generated via Copilot
  • Court ordered the attorney to undergo mandatory CLE
  • Decided in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • Order issued on July 23, 2025
Get Sanctions Watch in your inbox
New AI-citation sanctions, the morning after they hit the docket.