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 (30 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)
If you know of a case that should be included, feel free to contact me.3 (Readers may also be interested in this project regarding AI use in academic papers.)
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donte McClellon v. E. Rickard, Warden of FCI Otisville, et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 11 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Samantha Roussell v. The Bank of New York Mellon | CA Florida (USA) | 11 March 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| 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 | — | — | |
| 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
|
|||||||||
| Evgeny Yaroshevsky v. Karlin et al. | E.D. New York (USA) | 23 February 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Gemini |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
other
(1)
|
Recommended adverse costs order | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Cesareo v. Port Authority of New York and New Jersey | D. New Jersey (USA) | 31 December 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Ng v. AmGuard Insurance Company, et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 29 December 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | ||
| Smith v. Clarence Smith et al. | N.D. New York (USA) | 22 December 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Warning | — | ||
| Halpern v. Federal Reserve Bank of New York, et al. | N.D. Illinois (USA) | 17 December 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Hilpert v. 16 Judge SPV LLC | SC New York (USA) | 4 December 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Costs Order | — | — | |
| Farrow v. John Does | E.D. New York (USA) | 3 December 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(3)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Saregama India Ltd. v. Bharath Aiyer, et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 3 December 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1),
Legal Norm
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| John Doe v. James P. Ehrhard, Esq. | S.D. New York (USA) | 1 December 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Tameer Peak v. Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 26 November 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Plaintiff cautioned to disclose and verify any AI use | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Zero Point MGMT v. Chase Bank/JP Morgan Chase Co. | S.D. New York (USA) | 24 November 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Non-lawyer trustee barred from proceeding pro se | — | — | |
| Yakov Magdalasov v. ByteDance Inc., TikTok Inc., and Maria Malvar | S.D. New York (USA) | 24 November 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1),
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Linda Oliver v. Christian Dribusch | United States District Court, Northern District of New York (USA) | 21 November 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Morris Gafni v. Rapid Foreclosure Refunds et al. | SC New York (USA) | 21 November 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Habib Miah v. Morgan Stanley & Co. International PLC, et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 6 November 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Wheat v. Vichie | SC New York (USA) | 3 November 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Sehra Waheed v. SM 1 MMS, LLC, et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 28 October 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| NewRez LLC v. Morton | SC New York (USA) | 2 October 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
No sanction | — | — | |
| Mitchell Taylor Button & Dusty Button v. Juliet Doherty et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 30 September 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
Misrepresented
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
|
Certification requirement for future AI-assisted filings. | — | — | |
| Eric Andrew Perez v. Dr. Neil C. Evans, et al. | S.D. New York (USA) | 25 September 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | ChatGPT |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| In re Molina | E.D. New York (Bankruptcy) (USA) | 22 September 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
|
Order to sworn accuracy of citations | — | — | |
| Jeramiah Brown v. Fat Dough Incorp., doing business as Dominos Pizza | N.D. New York (USA) | 17 September 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | ChatGPT |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Advani v. Appellate Term | S.D. New York (USA) | 1 August 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
False Quotes
Case Law
(3)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(6)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
"Were Advani a lawyer, the Court would consider imposing sanctions on her. But in view of the fact that she is not a lawyer and of the dismissal of this case, the Court declines to pursue the matter further and merely warns Advani that presentation of false citations, quotations, and holdings in the future may indeed result in the imposition of sanctions." |
|||||||||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Rotonde v. Stewart Title Insurance Company | New York (USA) | 23 May 2025 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied | Fabricated citations | Warning | — | — | |
| Rule v. Braiman | N.D. New York (USA) | 4 September 2024 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied | Fake citations | Warning | — | — | |
| Zeng v. Chell | S.D. New York (USA) | 9 July 2024 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied | Fabricated citations | Warning | — | — | |