A defense lawyer in New Mexico has been fined $5,000 and held in contempt of court after submitting an artificial intelligence-generated brief that contained fake witness quotes and false testimony. The state Supreme Court sanctioned attorney Stephen Aarons for failing to verify the factual claims and legal authority in an appeal filed for his client's murder conviction.
According to court filings reported by Reuters, the brief included false details regarding the shooter's clothing and appearance, alongside testimony from completely fabricated witnesses. During an August hearing, Aarons admitted to relying on ChatGPT under the impression that it would generate a "bulletproof summary" of the trial, unaware of the risks involved.
Justice C. Shannon Bacon questioned the attorney during the hearing over his failure to recognize the flaws of generative AI tools. "Counsel, do you watch the news? Do you listen to the radio? Do you read anything about what’s going on in the world?" Justice Bacon said, pointing out that legal issues caused by AI hallucinations are reported frequently.
In a statement to Reuters, Aarons said he was remorseful and expressed hope that the disciplinary board would consider that it was an "honest mistake." The sanction comes amid a growing trend of courts penalizing attorneys who submit AI-generated misquotes and fake legal citations without proper verification.