GoKawiilNew Mexico court fines attorney $5,000 for ChatGPT-fabricated evidence in murder appeal
New Mexico's Supreme Court fined attorney Stephen Aarons $5,000 and held him in contempt after he submitted an appeal brief containing AI-invented witnesses and false police testimony about a shooter's appearance. Aarons admitted he used ChatGPT expecting it to produce a reliable trial summary but never checked its accuracy before filing it in his client's murder case.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The ruling adds to a growing list of court sanctions against lawyers who submit AI-generated fabrications, underscoring that judges have little patience left for such errors given how widely reported the risk has become. It signals that courts are treating unverified AI use in legal filings as professional misconduct rather than an innocent mistake.
- A lawyer was fined and held in contempt for submitting fabricated AI-generated evidence in a murder appeal.
- The attorney admitted using ChatGPT without verifying its factual claims before filing.
- The judge cited widespread public awareness of AI hallucination risks as grounds for the sanction.
Source: theverge.com — Emma Roth, 2026-09-11
Published there as: “Lawyer fined $5K over AI-hallucinated witnesses in a murder case”
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