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 (1046 cases matching filters), 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaclyn Cocco v. Rosario Palmieri, Jr. | SC Pennsylvania (USA) | 29 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
— | — | ||
| H. C. v. Contreras | CA California (5d) (USA) | 28 May 2026 | Lawyer, Judge | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Legal Norm
(1)
|
Judgment reversed and remanded | — | — | |
|
Source: Volokh
|
|||||||||
| Boyle, et al. v. Steven Kramer | E.D. Michigan (USA) | 28 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| USA ex rels. v. Barton Associates, Inc. | CA 1st Circuit (USA) | 28 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| In re M.H., M.L., and M.H., Minors | CA Illinois (1d) (USA) | 28 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| Innocent v. Meraki Installers, LLC | CA Florida (4d) (USA) | 27 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Exhibits or Submissions
(1)
|
Bar Referral | — | — | |
|
Source: Christian Silva
|
|||||||||
| Eclectic Synergy, LLC v. Seredin | CA Florida (4d) (USA) | 27 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
|
Source: Christian Silva
|
|||||||||
| Robert Hinton Avery v. Danielle Beauzil | CA Florida (4d) (USA) | 27 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Legal Norm
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Barred from filing save with Counsel | — | — | |
|
Source: Christian Silva
|
|||||||||
| Williamson v. Meyers (derivatively on behalf of Equinix, Inc.) | D. Delaware (USA) | 27 May 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
The Court identified at least one instance where Plaintiff cited a non-existent authority and informed Plaintiff. Plaintiff conceded the fictitious citation likely resulted from artificial intelligence. The Court excluded any contentions relying on the fabricated authority from its consideration and stated it would consider whether any additional action is required. |
|||||||||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Christ Apostolic Temple, Inc., Dwight Reed and Jordan Reed v. Demetrius Sinegal, et al. | CA Iowa (USA) | 27 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Polanco v. Himalayan Real Estate LLC, et al. | E.D. New York (USA) | 27 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| State of Oklahoma ex rel. Oklahoma Bar Association v. Reeves | SC Oklahoma (USA) | 27 May 2026 | Lawyer | ChatGPT |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Public reprimand | — | — | |
| SWSZ Holding v. SZ Global | SC Delaware (USA) | 27 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning, leave to refile | — | — | |
| William C. Maxwell v. Dakota Michael & Chelsey Smith | S.D. Indiana (USA) | 26 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Sanction | 1000 USD | ||
|
Order to Show Cause is here. |
|||||||||
| Hodges v. McGough Enterprises LLC | S.D. New York (USA) | 26 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(5)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Angela Sample and Dwayne Sample v. Ashford TRS Santa Fe, LLC | D. New Mexico (USA) | 26 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Jean-Paul B. Kalonji v. State of Indiana | CA Indiana (USA) | 26 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1),
Legal Norm
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
| Guo v. Meade Motorcars, L.L.C. | CA Ohio (6d) (USA) | 26 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Deepseek |
Fabricated
Case Law
(5)
|
Monetary Sanction | 100 USD | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Johnny Fuselier v. John S. Riscassi | S.D. Mississippi (USA) | 22 May 2026 | Lawyer | Fastcase; Google AI |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
|
Order to show cause is here. |
|||||||||
| Kings Roofing v. Fusion Works | CA Florida (6th) (USA) | 22 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| Saqib Kafeel v. CJDropshipping | N.D. Illinois (USA) | 22 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| A.T.W. v. Commonwealth of Kentucky | CA Kentucky (USA) | 22 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Sana Hazina Butler v. Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC | S.D. New York (USA) | 22 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| That Xiong v. Minga Wofford (2) | E.D. California (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Lawyer | ChatGPT |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
|
No Sanctions in circumstances | — | — | |
|
Order to Show Cause is here. The court concluded: |
|||||||||
| Jackie L. Miller v. Regions Bank | N.D. Alabama (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Lawyer | ChatGPT |
False Quotes
Case Law
(4)
|
DQ from case and court (6 months); Bar Referral | — | — | |
| Simmons v. Shahidul Islam | CA Tennessee (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| City of Shaker Heights v. Andre D. Thompson | CA Ohio (8d) (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Dalton Gage Hill v. Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority (2) | W.D. Oklajoma (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Magistrate recommended sanctions | — | — | |
| Isaiah Hunter-Bey v. City of Cleveland Law Department | CA Ohio (8d) (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
| Chapel v. Americredit Financial Services & Experian | N.D. Alabama (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
|
Admonishment | — | — | |
| Twigg v. BSN Sports, Inc., et al. | M.D. Pennsylvania (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Lawyer | Unidentified |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Lowrey v. City of Rio Rancho et al. (2) | D. New Mexico (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(3)
|
Warning (again) | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Arron v. Custer, et al. | S.D. Ohio (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
|
Citation treated as unverified | — | — | |
| In re the Marriage of Amy Haddock and Justin Blu Haddock | Tulsa County DC (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Monetary Sanction; Bar Referral; Mandatory Audit of Firm Knowledge base; Adverse Costs Order | 22749 USD | — | |
|
Costs later found to amount to 20,752 USD. |
|||||||||
| Shaker Hts. v. Thompson | CA Ohio (8d) (USA) | 21 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(3)
|
— | — | ||
| Davis v. Marion County Juvenile Detention Center | S.D. Indiana (USA) | 20 May 2026 | Lawyer | Fastcase |
Fabricated
Case Law
(2)
|
Monetary Sanction | 2000 USD | — | |
|
Magistrate had suggested a higher sanction: see here. |
|||||||||
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Sherwood v. County of Botetourt, Virginia, et al. | W.D. Virginia (USA) | 20 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(4)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(2),
Legal Norm
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Landberg v City of New York | App. NY (2d) (USA) | 20 May 2026 | Lawyer | Implied | — | Order to Show Cause | — | — | |
| Brandy Dorsey v. Walter Livramento, III | CA Maryland (USA) | 20 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(6)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Curtin v. Watts, et al. | M.D. North Carolina (USA) | 20 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
False Quotes
Case Law
(2)
|
Warning | — | — | |
| Downing v. Dwayne Brown, et al. | CA 11th Cir. (USA) | 20 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
False Quotes
Case Law
(1)
|
Brief partly struck | — | — | |
|
Source: Jesse Schaefer
|
|||||||||
| Taiujuan Burches v. Equifax Information Services, LLC, et al. | E.D. Louisiana (USA) | 20 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied | — | Warning | — | — | |
| In re Nicholia Cherry-Crockette | D. New Jersey (Bankruptcy) (USA) | 20 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
— | — | ||
| Syreeta LaShawn McNeal v. Vera L. Calvin, et al. | E.D. Missouri (USA) | 19 May 2026 | Pro Se Litigant | Implied |
Fabricated
Case Law
(1)
Misrepresented
Case Law
(1)
|
Order to provide certification with every future filing | — | — | |
|
Order to Show Cause is here. |
|||||||||
| 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
|
|||||||||
| 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
|
|||||||||
| 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
|
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