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 (956 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 developped 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamie Lee Saunders v. Albertsons/Safeway, LLC | D. Colorado (USA) | 16 April 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Essandoh v. Capital One Bank | E.D. Texas (USA) | 16 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Unidentified | — | Warning | — | — | |
| Stance Strong and Kinisha Strong v. Zubha Pop Foods LLC d/b/a Popeyes Chicken | CA Illinois (1d) (USA) | 15 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Centient AI |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Brief Struck | — | — | |
| In the Marriage of: Sarah Lynn Nelson | CA Minnesotta (USA) | 15 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Matter of: LOGMET LLC, B-423066.2 | GAO (USA) | 15 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: David Timm
|
|||||||||
| Fofanah v. Rockwall Rental Properties | CA Texas (5d) (USA) | 15 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Cynthia White v. Walmart, Inc. | S.D. Indiana (USA) | 14 April 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
Misrepresented
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Robert Freund
|
|||||||||
| Zand v. Sukumar | CA California (1d) (USA) | 14 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Michael T-Alexander v. Michelle Baass et al. | CA California (6d) (USA) | 14 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
| Brian Smith v. TD Auto Finance LLC, et al. | N.D. Mississippi (USA) | 14 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Shaw v. City of Portola, et al. | E.D. California (USA) | 14 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(5)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| State of Ohio v. Abdullah M. Alqahtani | 3d Dist (USA) | 13 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1),
Legal Norm
(1)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Allen v. Hunt | N.D. Illinois (USA) | 13 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Bruno Roberto Rodriguez v. Kathryn Louise Rodriguez | CA Florida 6th (USA) | 10 April 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| Avalon Holdings Corp. v. Guy Gentile | S.D. New York (USA) | 10 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Steven Nemec v. Kelsey Kanoelani Alao and Alyssa Jade Alao | D. Oregon (USA) | 10 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
|
— | — | ||
| Ifeoma Delliane Chinedu Obi v. Cook County, Illinois, et al. | N.D. Illinois (USA) | 9 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(2),
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
|
Brief Struck; Monetary Sanction | 4999 USD | — | |
|
(Sanction was initially 9,750 USD, but court later corrected the order, reducing the amount to 5000 USD. No explanation was given.) |
|||||||||
| Robert S. Hulvat v. Juli Gumina, STG Divorce Law, and Jennifer B. Hulvat | CA Illinois (3d) (USA) | 9 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Sanction | 3178 USD | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| That Xiong v. Minga Wofford | E.D. California (USA) | 9 April 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| In re Troylond Malon Wise | W.D. Louisiana (Bankruptcy) (USA) | 9 April 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1),
Legal Norm
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary sanction; CLE on AI; barred until compliance; Brief struck | 2750 USD | — | |
|
= |
|||||||||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Pleasant v. Burns | N.D. Alabama (USA) | 8 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| James C. Young; Tahnee R. Young v. Happy Money | CA 8th Circuit (Bankruptcy) (USA) | 8 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Joseph C. Zoghaib v. Societe Generale De Banque Au Liban, et al. | S.D. Florida (USA) | 8 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Misrepresented
Case Law
(3)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Nancy Parkinson v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review | Cmwlth Pennsylvania (USA) | 7 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Thanh Nguy v. Jabil Inc. | N.D. California (USA) | 7 April 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Aurore Sims v. Assia Souily-Lefave; Around Vegas, LLC | D. Nevada (USA) | 7 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Herbert Brooks v. Lowes Home Centers LLC | W.D. Louisiana (USA) | 7 April 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(7)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | ||
| Blackburn v. United States | W.D. Oklahoma (USA) | 7 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(5)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Kelly Bartholomew v. Public Utility Commission of Oregon | CA Oregon (USA) | 6 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
|
Judicial review dismissed due to submission of fabricated case citations | — | — | |
| James Jordan v. USA, Clinicas Del Camino Real, Inc., et al. | C.D. California (USA) | 6 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
| Gamez v. County of Fresno | E.D. California (USA) | 6 April 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Legal Norm
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| Wendy Wolkenstein and Rebecca Knepp v. Dan Heinrich and Samual Tillery | D. Nevada (USA) | 6 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Hardy v. Genesee County Community Action Resource Department, et al. (2) | E.D. Mich. (USA) | 6 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Unidentified |
False Quotes
Case Law
(3)
|
Brief Struck | — | — | |
| Viral Bhagat v. Anuja Sharad Shah | S.D. New York (USA) | 6 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
| In re: Philips Recalled CPAP, Bi-Level PAP, and Mechanical Ventilator Products Liability Litigation (Gravelyn) | J.P.M.L. (USA) | 6 April 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Misrepresented
Case Law
(4)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| United States v. Farris | CA 6th Cir. (USA) | 3 April 2026 | Lawyer | Westlaw CoCounsel |
Fabricated
Doctrinal Work
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
|
Counsel disqualified with no compensation for time served; Briefs locked; Bar Referral; Notice of Opinion | — | — | |
|
Source: Robert Freund
|
|||||||||
| Najafpir v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. | N.D. California (USA) | 3 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Claim dismissed with prejudice | — | — | |
| Ward v. Amazon.com Services LLC | W.D. Washington (USA) | 3 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| In re: Kathleen A Rabon | D. Connecticut (Bankruptcy) (USA) | 3 April 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Show Cause Order | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Ellen Michaelis v. Wilmington Savings Fund Society | SC Dutchess County, N.Y. (USA) | 3 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | |||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Modern Floor Specialists, Inc. et al. v. City of Los Angeles et al. | C.D. California (USA) | 3 April 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Kleyman Law Group, P.C. v. James Kaloidis | Supreme Court, Kings County (USA) | 3 April 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(3)
|
Sanctions | — | — | |
|
Source: Robert Freund
|
|||||||||
| Kevin D. Turnage v. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., et al. | D. Arizona (USA) | 2 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3),
other
(1)
Misrepresented
Legal Norm
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Stanford v. Leinart | CA Texas (USA) | 2 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Saqib Kafeel v. Apple Inc., et al. | N.D. California (USA) | 1 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Patrick Hrdlichka v. Samantha Bengston | CA Arkansas (USA) | 1 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| In the Interest of W.G., Minor Child | CA Iowa (USA) | 1 April 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Perplexity |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Evgeny Yaroshevsky v. Karlin et al. | E.D. New York (USA) | 31 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Gemini |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
other
(1)
|
Recommended adverse costs order | — | — | |
|
R&R was adopted later on (see here). |
|||||||||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Chelsea Montes v. Suns Legacy Partners LLC | D. Arizona (USA) | 31 March 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(6)
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
|
Adverse Costs Order; CLE; Notification | — | — | |
|
Source: Robert Freund
|
|||||||||
| Edward C. Allen v. Western Governors University, et al. | D. Nevada (USA) | 31 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(4)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(3)
|
Case dismissed with prejudice; Adverse Costs Order | 1 USD | — | |