US lawyer sanctioned after caught using ChatGPT for court brief
The Utah court of appeals has sanctioned a lawyer after he was discovered to have used ChatGPT for a filing he made in which he referenced a nonexistent court case.
Earlier this week, the Utah court of appeals made the decision to sanction Richard Bednar over claims that he filed a brief which included false citations.
According to court documents reviewed by ABC4, Bednar and Douglas Durbano, another Utah-based lawyer who was serving as the petitioner's counsel, filed a 'timely petition for interlocutory appeal'.
Upon reviewing the brief which was written by a law clerk, the respondent's counsel found several false citations of cases.
'It appears that at least some portions of the Petition may be AI-generated, including citations and even quotations to at least one case that does not appear to exist in any legal database (and could only be found in ChatGPT and references to cases that are wholly unrelated to the referenced subject matter,' the respondent's counsel said in documents reviewed by ABC4.
The outlet reports that the brief referenced a case titled 'Royer v Nelson', which did not exist in any legal database.
Following the discovery of the false citations, Bednar 'acknowledged 'the errors contained in the petition' and apologized', according to a document from the Utah court of appeals, ABC4 reports. It went on to add that during a hearing in April, Bednar and his attorney 'acknowledged that the petition contained fabricated legal authority, which was obtained from ChatGPT, and they accepted responsibility for the contents of the petition'.
According to Bednar and his attorney, an 'unlicensed law clerk' wrote up the brief and Bednar did not 'independently check the accuracy' before he made the filing. ABC4 further reports that Durbano was not involved in the creation of the petition and the law clerk responsible for the filing was a law school graduate who was terminated from the law firm.
The outlet added that Bednar offered to pay any related attorney fees to 'make amends'.
In a statement reported by ABC4, the Utah court of appeals said: 'We agree that the use of AI in the preparation of pleadings is a legal research tool that will continue to evolve with advances in technology. However, we emphasize that every attorney has an ongoing duty to review and ensure the accuracy of their court filings. In the present case, petitioner's counsel fell short of their gatekeeping responsibilities as members of the Utah State Bar when they submitted a petition that contained fake precedent generated by ChatGPT.'
As a result of the false citations, ABC4 reports that Bednar was ordered to pay the respondent's attorney fees for the petition and hearing, refund fees to their client for the time used to prepare the filing and attend the feeling, as well as donate $1,000 to the Utah-based legal non-profit And Justice for All.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
38 minutes ago
- Times
Why have Poland's voters signed up for two years of chaos?
Act now to keep your subscription We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Beyoncé insiders reveal the secrets to how she has become a record-breaking billionaire - ahead of epic run of Cowboy Carter London tour shows
Beyoncé insiders have lifted the lid on how she has become a record-breaking billionaire. The Houston-born superstar, 43, and her husband Jay-Z became music's first billionaire couple and are now worth around $3billion. And in a new interview those who have worked with her over the years have revealed how her work ethic that is on 'another level' and her attention to detail have been reflected in her impressive bank balance. Producer Larry Griffin Jr worked with the star on her 2011 album 4, told The Times Culture magazine: 'She knows exactly what she wants. It was one of the most intense weeks of my career.' She recorded a whopping 75 songs for 4 and had to narrow them down to just 16 for its release. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the In an example of her incredible work ethic, she hosted listening parties where family and radio people scored each song from one to five. Other insiders pointed out how the attention to detail on her current Cowboy Carter tour show 'another level' of planning and precision. Architect Ray Winkler helped design sets for two of her tours and said in the Times interview: 'The visual landscapes of her shows are just extraordinary.' Choreographer James Alsop worked with her for her song Run The World and added: 'She was involved in every aspect'. James explained how she rarely took breaks, eating and drinking as she rehearsed. Others who have worked with her also tell how she will watch tapes back of her shows to see how she can improve next time. Beyoncé plays six nights at Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London on June 5, 7, 10, 12, 14 and 16. So far the star has struggled to sell out some of her shows, and last month during one date suffered some mechanical failures on set. The songstress was captured in fan video on the final show of her five-night run in Los Angeles as a robot on stage failed to hit its mark. The mix-up came after Beyoncé was hit with a cease-and-desist letter for featuring images of a famous concert venue on her Cowboy Carter Tour, which has struggled to sell out its LA run and upcoming concerts in Chicago and London. During one section of the concert at Inglewood's SoFi Stadium, Beyoncé took a break to sit on a large gold thrown as a robotic arm that wouldn't have been out of place in a factory attempted to pour a bottle of liquor into her glass on one of the throne's arms. But the robot upended the bottle just an inch or two away from the drink, and instead poured the liquid all over the golden chair she was sitting in. Beyoncé was supposed to follow up the over-the-top display by taking a sip of her drinking and grabbing a remote control on the other arm rest as if to turn on the TV before vegging out. But the Texas Hold 'Em singer — who was dressed in a busty white Western suit covered in sequins and tassels — looked surprised and embarrassed as she briefly picked up her glass and realized that it was empty. Her mouth started to curl into a smile as she quickly returned the empty glass to its spot on her arm rest. But Beyoncé managed to tamp down her smile and continued with the act as she picked up the remote and flicked it as if to turn on a television. 'Beyoncé wanted to laugh so bad… she looked up at the robot like it wasn't a robot,' a user on X who posted the video wrote. 'Beyoncé is so unserious,' another person wrote in the replies. Although the video vantage point didn't make it clear what led the robotic bartender to miss its mark, one fan claimed that the messy mistake was a result of 'human error.' 'They didn't put it directly on its mark kinda like when they didn't mark where she had to stand to perform Cozy,' they wrote. 'She ready to fire the robot,' another commenter joked. The Single Ladies singer has face other controversies on her recently launched tour, including over her daughter Blue Ivy's substandard dance moves. Beyoncé has lately been struggling to sell tickets for her ongoing tour, which may reflect less interest in her country-tinged Cowboy Carter material compared to her dance-friendly Renaissance material. So far the star has struggled to sell out some of her shows, and last month during one date suffered some mechanical failures on set The singer–songwriter also may be struggling to get fans who saw her on her whirlwind Renaissance tour to come back just two years later, this time at even higher prices. Those prices — $200–$300 a ticket for some of the worst seats at her upcoming Chicago shows — may be also turning off fans. Beyoncé appears to have drastically slashed prices at some of her shows in order to get fans to buy the unsold tickets. Some fans who saw her in LA were able to nab tickets as cheap as $35 before Ticketmaster's fees, and tickets are still available for her upcoming six-night run in London, with some tickets now going for as little as £66.
The Independent
42 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tulsa's new Black mayor plans $100M reparations for descendants of 1921 Race Massacre
Tulsa's Mayor Monroe Nichols has proposed a $100 million private trust to provide scholarships and housing assistance to descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Nichols, the first Black mayor of Tulsa, announced the plan at the Greenwood Cultural Center, located in the once-thriving district that was destroyed by a white mob. The mayor's proposal is part of a city-backed effort to atone for one of the worst racial attacks in U.S. history. The plan would not include direct cash payments to descendants or the last two centenarian survivors of the attack that killed as many as 300 Black people. Nichols said he does not use the term reparations, which he calls politically charged, characterizing his sweeping plan instead as a 'road to repair.' 'This is, I think, a very significant first step,' Nichols said. 'And it's something we can all unite around. I think we can unite around housing specifically for affected populations. I think we can unite around investing in the Greenwood district and making sure that we're able to revitalize it to be an economic power again.' Nichols said the proposal would not require city council approval, although the council would need to authorize the transfer of any city property to the trust. The private charitable trust would be created with a goal to secure $105 million in assets, with most of the funding either secured or committed by June 1, 2026. Although details of the trust programs would be developed over the next year by an executive director and a board of managers, the plan calls for the bulk of the funding, $60 million, to go toward improving buildings and revitalizing the city's north side. 'The Greenwood District at its height was a center of commerce,' Nichols said. 'So what was lost was not just something from North Tulsa or the Black community. It actually robbed Tulsa of an economic future that would have rivaled anywhere else in the world." Nichols' proposal comes on the heels of an executive order he signed earlier this year recognizing June 1 as Tulsa Race Massacre Observance Day, an official holiday for the city. Nichols also realizes the current national political climate, particularly President Trump 's sweeping assault on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, provides challenging political crosswinds. 'The fact that this lines up with a broader national conversation is a tough environment,' Nichols admitted, 'but it doesn't change the work we have to do.' Jacqueline Weary, is a granddaughter of massacre survivor John R. Emerson, Sr., who owned a hotel and cab company in Greenwood that were destroyed. She acknowledged the political difficulty of giving cash payments to descendants. But at the same time, she wondered how much of her family's wealth was lost as a result of the massacre. 'If Greenwood was still there, my grandfather would still have his hotel,' said Weary, 65. 'It rightfully was our inheritance, and it was literally taken away.' Tulsa is not the first U.S. city to explore the idea of reparations. The Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, was the first U.S. city to make reparations available to its Black residents for past discrimination, offering qualifying households $25,000 for home repairs, down payments on property, and interest or late penalties on property in the city. The funding for the program came from taxes on the sale of recreational marijuana. Other communities and organizations that have considered providing reparations range from the state of California to cities like Amherst, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; Asheville, North Carolina; and Iowa City, Iowa; religious denominations like the Episcopal Church; and prominent colleges like Georgetown University in Washington. In Tulsa, there are only two living survivors of the Race Massacre, both of whom are 110 years old: Leslie Benningfield Randle and Viola Fletcher. Both received direct financial compensation from both a Tulsa-based nonprofit and a New York-based philanthropic organization, but have not received any recompense from the city or state. Damario Solomon-Simmons, an attorney for the survivors and the founder of the Justice for Greenwood Foundation, could not be reached for comment on the mayor's plan, but said earlier this year that any reparations plan should include direct payments to Randle and Fletcher and a victims' compensation fund for outstanding claims. A lawsuit filed by Solomon-Simmons on behalf of the survivors was rejected by the Oklahoma Supreme Court last year, dampening racial justice advocates' hopes that the city would ever make financial amends.
