New Mexico lawyer fined for using AI-generated brief containing fabricated testimony; Reuters via The Guardian, September 11, 2026

 Reuters via The Guardian; New Mexico lawyer fined for using AI-generated brief containing fabricated testimony

"A defense lawyer appealing his client’s murder conviction submitted a legal brief containing ⁠made-up police testimony and ⁠witnesses fabricated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, ​New Mexico’s highest court said.

The New Mexico supreme court on Wednesday fined the attorney, Stephen Aarons, and held him in contempt for failing to verify the accuracy of the court ⁠filing, which Aarons said he prepared with help from the artificial intelligence (AI) application...

The justices sounded incredulous that Aarons was not fully aware of how AI can make mistakes.

“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 Shannon Bacon said at the hearing. “Because the problem with lawyers relying on AI hallucinations is an ‘above-the-fold’ story every single day.”"

Lawyers face sanctions for citing fake cases with AI, warns UK judge; Reuters, June 6, 2025

 Sam Tobin, Reuters; Lawyers face sanctions for citing fake cases with AI, warns UK judge

"Lawyers who use artificial intelligence to cite non-existent cases can be held in contempt of court or even face criminal charges, London's High Court warned on Friday, in the latest example of generative AI leading lawyers astray.

A senior judge lambasted lawyers in two cases who apparently used AI tools when preparing written arguments, which referred to fake case law, and called on regulators and industry leaders to ensure lawyers know their ethical obligations.

"There are serious implications for the administration of justice and public confidence in the justice system if artificial intelligence is misused," Judge Victoria Sharp said in a written ruling...

She added that "in the most egregious cases, deliberately placing false material before the court with the intention of interfering with the administration of justice amounts to the common law criminal offence of perverting the course of justice"."