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 (721 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter v. TForce Freight Incorporated | D. Arizona (USA) | 10 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied | — | Warning | — | — | |
| Brown v. State of Mississippi | CA Mississippi (USA) | 10 March 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| In re A.R. and N.R., Minors | AC Illinois (USA) | 10 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Tina Rose v. City of West Frankfort et al. | S.D. Illinois (USA) | 10 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | ChatGPT | — | Warning | — | — | |
| Helen Allen v. Cass Casper and Disparti Law Group | N.D. Illinois (USA) | 10 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
Monetary Sanction | 1500 USD | — | |
| United States of America v. Lorenzio Reshaud Simmons | E.D. North Carolina (USA) | 10 March 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(3)
|
Warning; Allowed to file corrected brief | — | — | |
| Michael Platt v. Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana | S.D. Indiana (USA) | 10 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Brief Struck, Warning | — | — | |
| Cartagena v. Dixon, Blackburn, and T.A. Blackburn Law, PLLC | S.D. New York (USA) | 10 March 2026 | Lawyer | Protégé (LexisNexis) |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
| Arno Kuigoua v. Adam Michael Sacks | CA California (2nd) (USA) | 10 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| A.K. v. M.R. | CA Indiana (USA) | 10 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Slay v. Ross | CA Georgia (USA) | 9 March 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| M7 Indústria e Comércio de Compensados e Laminados v. U.S. Structural Plywood Integrity Coalition, et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 9 March 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
|
Order to show cause | — | — | |
|
The Court found two quotations in the Plaintiffs' memorandum that do not appear in the cited federal opinions and ordered counsel to explain and certify review of all cited cases before deciding whether to impose further sanctions. |
|||||||||
| Kim Elizabeth Harwell v. WestCare Nevada, Inc. | D. Nevada (USA) | 6 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | ChatGPT |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Kattom v. Bondi | W.D. Louisiana (USA) | 6 March 2026 | Lawyer | ChatGPT |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary sanction | 1000 USD | — | |
| Hatch v. College Ave Student Loans | N.D. Illinois (USA) | 6 March 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| Zack Jones v. Target Corporation | D. Oregon (USA) | 6 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Recommended granting terminating sanctions and dismissal of the case | — | — | |
|
Recommendations are here, and were later adopted. |
|||||||||
| Andre Lamont Goddard, Jr. v. City University of Seattle | D. District of Columbia (USA) | 6 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(5)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Dewayne Clark v. CoreCivic | W.D. Oklahoma (USA) | 6 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
| Sai Malena Jimenez-Fogarty v. Thomas Fogarty | S.D. New York (USA) | 6 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Hallucination treated it as non-existent | — | — | |
| Gregory J. Van Etten v. Stephanie K. Fattman, et al. | D. Massachusetts (USA) | 6 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
other
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1),
Legal Norm
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Warning |
|||||||||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Nelson Lin v. The Honorable Jonathan H. Shim, et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 6 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Joan Pablo Torres Campos v. Leslie Ann Munoz | CA California (USA) | 5 March 2026 | Lawyer, Judge | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary sanction; Bar referral | 5000 USD | — | |
|
Source: Robert Freund
|
|||||||||
| In the Matter of the Estate of Kuerschner | CA Arizona (USA) | 5 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Adverse Costs Order | 1 | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Lawand Hill v. Sloppy Vinyl, LLC, et al. | D. New Jersey (USA) | 5 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(3)
|
Motion to dismiss granted; warning | — | — | |
| Medal v. Amazon.com Services, LLC | W.D. Washington (USA) | 4 March 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Legal Norm
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| Ryan Adam Dixon v. MultiCare Health System | W.D. Washington (USA) | 4 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2),
Legal Norm
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Jeri'yah Ford v. Troy City School District, et al. | N.D. New York (USA) | 4 March 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| In the Matter of the Estate of CAROL M. CAREY | CA Washington (USA) | 3 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Adverse Costs Order | 1 USD | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| In re Lusine Hakhverdyan | C.D. California (Bankruptcy) (USA) | 3 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
— | — | ||
| Derence V. Fivehouse v. United States Department of Defense et al. | E.D. North Carolina (USA) | 2 March 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(5),
Legal Norm
(2)
|
Court issued show-cause order and scheduled hearing to determine sanctions; no sanction imposed yet. | — | — | |
|
It was later reported that the prosecutor at stake resigned over the accident. |
|||||||||
| Hardy v. Whitaker | E.D. Michigan (USA) | 2 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
|
Plaintiff's amended complaint dismissed with prejudice | — | — | |
| Put A Bird On It, LLC v. Seattle Arena Holdings, LLC | CA Washington (USA) | 2 March 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Fabian Antonio Thomas v. Officer Skylar Sillivent, et al. | E.D. Texas (USA) | 2 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| In the Matter of the Estate of Arturo Lopez | CA Arizona (USA) | 27 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Horton v. Colvin | CA Alabama (USA) | 27 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Doctrinal Work
(1)
|
Affirmed in part; reversed in part; remanded (libel claim as to “meth house” reversed for further proceedings). | — | — | |
| Hicks v. City of Albany | CA Georgia (USA) | 26 February 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Perry v. Exeter Finance LLC | D. Arizona (USA) | 26 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| United States v. Robert Ponce, Jr. | D. Nevada (USA) | 26 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Volker v. Nygaard | SC North Dakota (USA) | 26 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Case dismissed with prejudice | — | — | |
|
The district court found Volker repeatedly submitted fictitious, AI-generated case citations and dismissed his action with prejudice as a Rule 11 sanction. The Supreme Court dismissed Volker's appeal as untimely, leaving the sanction and judgment in place. |
|||||||||
| Samuel K. v. Winsley Focia | CA California (USA) | 26 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1),
other
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Appeal dismissed; appellant to bear her own costs on appeal. | — | — | |
| Estate of Khallid Muhammad et al v. Tupac Shakur Estate et al | C.D. California (USA) | 26 February 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | ||
| David Thomas v. The Quikrete Companies, LLC | W.D. Texas (USA) | 26 February 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Kettering Adventist Healthcare v. Sandra Collier, et al. | S.D. Ohio (USA) | 25 February 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(4)
|
Contempt Finding; Brief Struck; Monetary Sanction | 7500 USD | ||
|
OSC is here. |
|||||||||
|
Source: Robert Freund
|
|||||||||
| Christina Leas Dunn v. Nelnet | W.D. Arkansas (USA) | 25 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Roosevelt Hunt, Jr. v. True Sky Federal Credit Union | D. Kansas (USA) | 25 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| In re termination of parental rights (HK) | CA Arizona (USA) | 25 February 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Legal Norm
(2)
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
|
Bar Referral | — | — | |
| Straub v. Henderson | DCA Florida (USA) | 25 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied | — | Affirmed. | — | — | |
| Anthony Jama Hall v. Superior Court of Sacramento County | CA California (USA) | 25 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1),
Legal Norm
(1),
other
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Moses v. State | CATennessee (USA) | 25 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
|
The court observed that Moses' brief contained several citation errors and at least one fictitious case. The court stated it would disregard any legal authorities it could not verify as authentic and proceeded to decide the appeal on the merits, ultimately affirming the Claims Commission's dismissal. |
|||||||||
| Chapter Kris Jackson v. BOK Financial Corporation et al. (3) | N.D. Oklahoma (USA) | 24 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Struck filings; Monetary sanction | 405 USD | — | |