by Another warning to attorneys who could be tempted to employ generative artificial intelligence has been issued by a federal judge: Always review your work.
Judge Nina Y. Wang of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado sanctioned two attorneys who represented MyPillow creator Mike Lindell, who is notorious for disseminating conspiracy theories regarding the 2020 presidential election, in a ruling released on Monday.
According to Judge Wang, the attorneys submitted a court brief in February that included almost thirty faulty citations in a defamation complaint against Mr. Lindell. She said that it misquoted court decisions, distorted legal doctrines, and—most heinously—cited cases that never happened.
Judge Wang claimed that neither Christopher I. Kachouroff nor Jennifer T. DeMaster had provided an explanation for how the filing’s mistakes might have occurred in the absence of generative artificial intelligence or egregious negligence on the part of the attorneys.
She discovered that they had broken a federal regulation that mandates attorneys attest that the assertions they make in court papers are supported by the law. She imposed a $3,000 fine on each of them, stating that this was the least harsh penalty suitable to penalize and discourage defense attorneys in this case.
Messages on Tuesday asking for comment on the fines were not immediately answered by Ms. DeMaster or Mr. Kachouroff.
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