This database tracks legal decisions1
I.e., all documents where the use of AI, whether established or merely alleged, is addressed in more than a passing reference by the court or tribunal.
Notably, this does not cover mere allegations of hallucinations, but only cases where the court or tribunal has explicitly found (or implied) that a party relied on hallucinated content or material.
As an exception, the database also covers some judicial decisions where AI use was alleged but not confirmed. This is a judgment call on my part.
in cases where generative AI produced hallucinated content – typically fake citations, but also other types of AI-generated arguments. It does not track the (necessarily wider) universe of all fake citations or use of AI in court filings.
While seeking to be exhaustive (1522 cases identified so far), it is a work in progress and will expand as new examples emerge. This database has been featured in news media, and indeed in several decisions dealing with hallucinated material.2
Examples of media coverage include:
- M. Hiltzik, AI 'hallucinations' are a growing problem for the legal profession (LA Times, 22 May 2025)
- E. Volokh, "AI Hallucination Cases," from Courts All Over the World (Volokh Conspiracy, 18 May 2025)
- J-.M. Manach, "Il génère des plaidoiries par IA, et en recense 160 ayant « halluciné » depuis 2023" (Next, 1 July 2025)
- J. Koebler & J. Roscoe, "18 Lawyers Caught Using AI Explain Why They Did It (404 Media, 30 September 2025)
Based on this database, I have developed an automated reference checker that also detects hallucinations: PelAIkan. Check the Reports
in the database for examples, and reach out to me for a demo.
For weekly takes on cases like these, and what they mean for legal practice, subscribe to Artificial Authority.
| Case | Court / Jurisdiction | Date ▼ | Party Using AI | AI Tool ⓘ | Nature of Hallucination | Outcome / Sanction | Monetary Penalty | Details | Report(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chakma v. Sushi Katsuei, Inc. | S.D. New York (USA) | 19 May 2026 | Lawyer | LexisNexis AI |
Fabricated
Doctrinal Work
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Sanction | 2712 USD | — | |
| Herbert Brooks v. Lowes Home Centers LLC | W.D. Louisiana (USA) | 18 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(7)
|
Monetary Sanction; CLE | 1000 USD | ||
|
Order to show cause is here. |
|||||||||
|
Source: Volokh
|
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| Glenn Wilder and Others v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Others | SC Massachussetts (USA) | 18 May 2026 | Lawyer | MX2.law | — | Refusal to appear pro hac vice | — | — | |
|
Refusal to appear pro hac vice given sanctions in other case. |
|||||||||
|
Source: Robert Freund
|
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| Harris v. St. Peter Investors, LLC et al. | D. Minnesotta (USA) | 18 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
False Quotes
Case Law
(3)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Estate of Claxton | CA Arizona (USA) | 18 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Waggeh v. Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 16 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied | — | Public Admonishment | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Nikko D’Ambrosio v. Meta Platforms Inc. | CA 7th Cir. (USA) | 15 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Legal Norm
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Legal Norm
(2)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
|
Source: Robert Freund
|
|||||||||
| Brock et al. v. Hamilton County JFS Children Services et al. | S.D. Ohio (USA) | 15 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| K.W. v. Ringwood Board of Education | D. New Jersey (USA) | 15 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(6)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(5)
|
Order to explain past citations | — | — | |
| Bank of America v. Mapp | M.D. North Carolina (USA) | 15 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Legal Norm
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| In the Matter of Janelle Melissa Lewis, an attorney and counselor-at-law | App. Div. 1st Dept (NY) (USA) | 14 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Sanction; Bar Suspension | 1500 USD | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| ООО «Точка опоры» v. ООО «ЦСС» | West Siberian District AC (Russian Federation) | 14 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Fine | 50000 | — | |
|
The cassation complaint cited multiple judicial acts that the court could not locate or that did not contain the quoted passages; the representative admitted the cited practice did not exist. The court found this to be deliberate fabrication/misrepresentation and imposed a judicial fine of 50,000 RUB on ООО «ЦСС». |
|||||||||
| Stringer v. White Cap Supply Holdings, LLC | M.D. Florida (USA) | 14 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
other
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| Oscar Danilo Montealto Garcia v. Todd Lyons, et al. | C.D. California (USA) | 14 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Jones v. Department of the Army | Fed. Cir. (USA) | 13 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: David Timm
|
|||||||||
| Jane Doe 1, et al. v. Mount Saint Mary High School Corporation | W.D. Oklahoma (USA) | 13 May 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Public reprimand; Notice to client; Bar Self-Referral | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Christopher Gleason v. Julie Marcus | CA Florida (2d) (USA) | 13 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Joseph Guy v. AFGE | N.D. California (USA) | 13 May 2026 | Lawyer | Claude |
False Quotes
Case Law
(3)
|
Order to Explain | — | — | |
|
Counsel's subsequent explanation can be found here. |
|||||||||
| Pyle v. Glenn County Sheriff's Department | E.D. California (USA) | 12 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Exhibits or Submissions
(1),
other
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Henri Giovani Morales Jimenez v. Christopher Shanahan | E.D. New York (USA) | 12 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Outdated Advice
Overturned Case Law
(1)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
| Zena L. Powell v. The Borough of Bergenfield | D. New Jersey (USA) | 12 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| Jacobs v. Timberlake | CA Louisiana (5d) (USA) | 12 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| DeVore v. McCombie | N.D. Illinois (USA) | 11 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Explain | — | — | |
| Bell v. Bell | SC Pennsylvania (USA) | 11 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| William Louis Armstrong, III v. City of Milwaukee | E.D. Wisconsin (USA) | 11 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Court granted motion to file corrected reply brief, found no prejudice | — | — | |
|
The County's original reply brief included a fictitious case citation. The County discovered and filed a corrected brief the same day; the Court allowed the correction, found no prejudice, and declined to impose sanctions. |
|||||||||
| Taiujuan Burches v. Equifax Information Services, LLC, et al. | E.D. Lousiana (USA) | 11 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Sanction | 500 USD | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Broyles v. McNeal | CA Georgia (USA) | 8 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Erica P. Kyne v. Owen Ehima; In re: Change of Name (Evelyn Ehima Kyne) | SC Connecticut (USA) | 8 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | ChatGPT |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
— | — | ||
| Samson v. Chartrand | Conseil de Discipline des Opticiens (Canada) | 8 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | |||
|
Source: Courtready
|
|||||||||
| Coomer v. Lindell/MyPillow, Inc. (2) | D. Colorado (USA) | 7 May 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Order | 5000 USD | — | |
|
Order to Show Cause is here. |
|||||||||
|
Source: Volokh
|
|||||||||
| Kristina Crist v. Roy Chris West, et al. | W.D. Oklahoma (USA) | 7 May 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Public reprimand; Notice to client; Monetary Sanction | 250 USD | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Eric Tobler v. Stephen Tobler, et al. | E.D. Michigan (USA) | 7 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | ||
| Joshua Harris v. Pinnacle Bank (2) | N.D. Mississippi (USA) | 7 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3),
Legal Norm
(4)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Legal Norm
(3)
|
Case dismissed with prejudice as sanction | — | — | |
| Stokka v. Stokka | SC North Dakota (USA) | 7 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Double costs awarded as sanction | 1000 USD | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Song Dow Lee, et al. v. HSBC Bank USA, National Association, et al. | C.D. California (USA) | 7 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| Danielle L. Neri v. Board of Education for Albuquerque Public Schools | D. New Mexico (USA) | 7 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Centient AI |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1),
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Marriage of Nash | CA Colorado (USA) | 7 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Sanction affirmed | 1665 USD | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Gregoire v. Board of Trustees of SF BART | N.D. California (USA) | 6 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Sanction; Serve Order on client and Bar; CLE | 1000 USD | — | |
|
Order to Show Cause is here. Counsel failed to answer. |
|||||||||
|
Source: Robert Freund
|
|||||||||
| Terrance Anthony Norris v. JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. | E.D. New York (USA) | 6 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Boersma v. Davenport | CA Oregon (USA) | 6 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Sanction | 500 USD | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Omar Rafique v The Commissioners for His Majesty's Revenue and Customs | UKFTT (Tax Chamber) (UK) | 6 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Pooja Ramesh Singh v. Jammu & Kashmir Bank | Supreme Court (India) | 5 May 2026 | Judge | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(6)
|
Ongoing | — | — | |
|
The NCLT Mumbai Bench cited several Supreme Court judgments in its order admitting Essel Infraprojects to CIRP. The suspended director's counsel alleged that, except for two, the cited judgments and extracted portions could not be verified and were 'hallucinated' (non-existent). The Supreme Court treated this as an integrity issue and directed an affidavit listing the disputed citations. |
|||||||||
|
⚠ Alleged AI Use
|
|||||||||
| Hannah Renee Payne v. The State | SC Georgia (USA) | 5 May 2026 | Prosecutor, Judge | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Admonishment; 6-month suspension from appearing before the Supreme Court; 12 hours CLE; trial court order vacated and case remanded | — | — | |
| Jessica Fuller v. Hyde School, et al. | D. Maine (USA) | 5 May 2026 | Lawyer | Claude or ChatGPT |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
CLE; Firm procedures and certification; Serve Order to plaintiff; Brief struck | — | — | |
| Krivaia v. Hungerford | B.C. SC (Canada) | 5 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Courtready
|
|||||||||
| Moore v. MC Architects Inc., et al. | D. Hawai'i (USA) | 5 May 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Sanction | 1000 USD | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Seeto v. Kendall | D. Nevada (USA) | 5 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
other
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Van Deel v. A-Plus Contracting, LLC | Missouri CA (USA) | 5 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Amanda Adams v. Allen Butler Construction, Inc. | CA Texas (USA) | 5 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1),
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Barber v. Morawa | CA Michigan (USA) | 5 May 2026 | Lawyer | Claude, ChatGPT, Westlaw, Lexis |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1),
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
|
Admonishment in court | — | — | |
|
See recording of oral hearing from 5 May 2026. |
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