ChatGPT-using lawyer punished for citing fake testimony from made-up witnesses
Ars Technica
1mo · 12 min
"I didn't know that AI could hallucinate facts," New Mexico defense lawyer says.
“I didn’t know that AI could hallucinate facts,” New Mexico defense lawyer says.
The New Mexico Supreme Court held a ChatGPT-using lawyer in direct contempt of court for submitting a brief with “false testimony from wholly fabricated witnesses,” including fake police testimony and other mistakes. The state’s top court referred the lawyer to a disciplinary board for further proceedings and concluded that he “demonstrated a lack of remorse and a lack of concern for his client.”
Attorney Stephen Aarons “admitted to the Court that he did not verify the factual claims and legal authority in his AI-generated brief before signing it and filing it with the Court, and that he did not inform his client of this failure or that the brief in chief contained multiple factual and legal misrepresentations,” the state Supreme Court said in an order on Wednesday.
Aarons has been a criminal defense lawyer in New Mexico for over 40 years and was hired by a defendant’s family members to appeal a murder conviction. Aaron’s now-former client, Oscar Renee Sandoval, was sentenced to life in prison in February 2025 after being convicted of killing Shiereen Al-Jibury, who was his partner and the mother of his children.
A little over a year ago, in August 2025, Aarons submitted the brief containing fake testimony and other errors. Weeks later, the state of New Mexico filed a motion to strike portions of that brief.…
That's the opening of the original reporting — continue reading at Ars Technica for the rest.
Open at Ars Technica ↗
