US Lawyer Fined $5,000 for Using ChatGPT to Fabricate Witness Testimony

The New Mexico Supreme Court has fined defense lawyer Stephen Aarons $5,000 for submitting an appeal brief that contained fabricated witnesses and made-up police testimony generated by ChatGPT. The court found that Aarons failed to verify the accuracy of the document, which it deemed contempt of court, and referred him to a lawyer disciplinary committee.

Aarons admitted to using AI to draft the brief but said he did not realize how badly ChatGPT could hallucinate and invent facts. The judges noted that the false testimony came from a completely fictitious witness and that Aarons showed a lack of remorse and concern for his client.

Such cases are increasing. Dozens of lawyers have already been punished for failing to check AI-generated content, including fabricated case citations and misquoted laws. Aarons' case appears more serious because he used fake witness testimony in a criminal appeal.

Judge C. Shannon Bacon asked at the hearing whether lawyers are paying attention, noting that problems with lawyers relying on AI hallucinations are in the headlines every day and that professionals should learn from this.