Fined
$9K
First Drafts
2026-06-08
Judge Sharion Aycock sanctioned four lawyers after both sides filed briefs citing AI-invented cases, cancelled the trial, and paused the proceedings.
Withers v. City of Aberdeen · Kathleen Wilson · U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi · MS
““This case presents the Court with an unusual scenario — attorneys for both litigants engaged in similar sanctionable conduct,””
legalcheek.com ↗
The file →
- Contract dispute in the City of Aberdeen fee case before Judge Sharion Aycock.
- Both sides' filings cited cases the court found did not exist after AI research and drafting.
- Four lawyers were sanctioned; the two drafting lawyers were fined $2,500 and $3,500, and the other two were fined $1,000 each.
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
- June 11, 2026; the order said the duty to verify work “is absolute” and “cannot be outsourced to technology or delegated to co-counsel”.