A federal judge in Mississippi sanctioned four attorneys Tuesday after discovering that lawyers on both sides of a lawsuit filed court briefs containing citations to legal cases that did not exist.
U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock issued the order June 8 in a contract dispute between Louisiana attorney Tom Withers III and the City of Aberdeen, Mississippi. The judge found that attorneys representing both parties submitted legal filings containing what the court described as “hallucinatory citations” generated with artificial intelligence (AI).
The problem came to light when the court attempted to locate several cases cited in briefs filed by both sides and could not find them. The judge subsequently ordered all four attorneys involved in the case to explain why they should not be sanctioned.
According to the order, attorneys Kathleen M. Wilson and Kathryn Y. Williams admitted to using AI tools in preparing court filings. Williams acknowledged using AI for legal research, while Wilson admitted to using a generative AI program to draft a filing. Neither attorney verified the legal authorities generated by the software before submitting the documents to the court.
The court found that several cited cases simply did not exist.
Two local attorneys associated with the case, Shauncey Hunter Ridgeway and Mark C. McClinton, told the court they were unaware their co-counsel had used AI. However, both admitted they failed to adequately review filings submitted under their electronic signatures.
Aycock said all four attorneys violated Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which requires lawyers to conduct a reasonable inquiry into the legal and factual basis of documents filed with the court.
The order noted that courts across the country have repeatedly warned lawyers about the dangers of relying on AI-generated legal research without verification.
“Generative technology can produce words,” the judge wrote while quoting another court decision, “but it cannot attach sincerity, truth, or responsibility to what it writes. That remains the sacred duty of the lawyer who signs the page.”
Wilson and Williams had their pro hac vice admissions revoked—meaning they no longer have permission to represent their clients in the case as out-of-state lawyers—and were barred from practicing in the Northern District of Mississippi for two years and fined $2,500 and $3,500, respectively. Wilson must also complete an AI ethics mandatory training. Local counsel Ridgeway and McClinton were disqualified from the case and fined $1,000 each.
The case is stayed for 60 days while the parties obtain new counsel. All four attorneys were removed from the case.
None of the four attorneys responded to emails asking for comment.
