Attorneys Steven Schwartz and Peter LoDuca submitted a federal court brief citing six entirely fabricated judicial opinions that ChatGPT had invented; ChatGPT even 'confirmed' the fake cases were real when asked. They then filed fabricated excerpts to back them up.
AIC-0009 S2 · Minor
Lawyers sanctioned for filing ChatGPT-fabricated case law (Mata v. Avianca)
- Harm
- Wasted court and opposing-counsel resources; erosion of trust in filings; the underlying personal-injury claim was dismissed.
- Detection
- Opposing counsel and Judge P. Kevin Castel could not locate the cited cases.
- Outcome
- Judge imposed a US$5,000 sanction on the two lawyers and their firm and ordered corrective notices; a landmark AI-hallucination-in-court ruling.
A documented entry in the AI Crime Registry, a Defici non-profit initiative. Sourced from public reporting; corrections: [email protected].