New Mexico lawyer fined for using AI-generated brief containing fabricated police testimony
Summary
A New Mexico lawyer was fined $5,000 for submitting a court document with false police testimony and made-up witnesses created using the AI tool ChatGPT. The state's highest court held the lawyer in contempt and said he failed to check the accuracy of the filing, which is still part of an appeal in a murder case.Key Facts
- Lawyer Stephen Aarons used ChatGPT to help write a legal brief for a murder appeal.
- The brief included completely fabricated police testimony and witnesses.
- The New Mexico Supreme Court fined Aarons $5,000 and held him in contempt.
- Aarons was referred to a lawyer disciplinary board for investigation.
- Aarons said he didn’t realize AI could create false information and called it an honest mistake.
- The court criticized Aarons for not verifying the AI-generated content before submitting it.
- The appeal case involves Oscar Renee Sandoval, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
- This case adds to growing concerns about lawyers submitting unvetted AI-generated documents in court.
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