Latest news with #AnnaManasco
Toronto Star
24-07-2025
- Toronto Star
Judge sanctions lawyers defending Alabama's prison system for using fake ChatGPT cases in filings
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge reprimanded lawyers with a high-priced firm defending Alabama's prison system for using ChatGPT to write court filings with 'completely made up' case citations. U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco publicly reprimanded three lawyers with Butler Snow, the law firm hired to defend Alabama and other jurisdictions in lawsuits against their prison systems. The order sanctioned William R. Lunsford, the head of the firm division that handles prison litigation, along with Matthew B. Reeves and William J. Cranford.
Reuters
24-07-2025
- Reuters
Judge disqualifies three Butler Snow attorneys from case over AI citations
July 24 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Alabama disqualified three lawyers from U.S. law firm Butler Snow from a case after they inadvertently included made-up citations generated by artificial intelligence in court filings. U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco in a Wednesday order, opens new tab reprimanded the lawyers at the Mississippi-founded firm for making false statements in court and referred the issue to the Alabama State Bar, which handles attorney disciplinary matters. Manasco did not impose monetary sanctions, as some judges have done in other cases across the country involving AI use. Fabricating legal authority "demands substantially greater accountability than the reprimands and modest fines that have become common as courts confront this form of AI misuse," Manasco said. "As a practical matter, time is telling us – quickly and loudly – that those sanctions are insufficient deterrents." The case is the latest example of a judge sanctioning or admonishing lawyers as AI-generated "hallucinations" have continued to crop up in court filings ever since ChatGPT and other generative AI programs became widely available. Professional rules require lawyers to vet their work however it is produced. The three Butler Snow lawyers were part of a team defending former Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn in an inmate's lawsuit alleging he was repeatedly attacked in prison. Dunn has denied wrongdoing. The judge said the three lawyers' conduct was "tantamount to bad faith." She sanctioned partner Matthew Reeves, who admitted to using AI to generate the citations and including them in the filings without verification. Reeves in a May filing apologized to the court and said he regretted his "lapse in diligence and judgment." She also disqualified partners William Cranford and William Lunsford, who each signed their names onto the filings. The lawyers said in May filings that they did not independently review the legal citations that were added. Reeves, Cranford and Lunsford did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. The judge declined to sanction Butler Snow, finding the firm "acted reasonably in its efforts to prevent this misconduct and doubled down on its precautionary and responsive measures when its nightmare scenario unfolded." The firm previously warned its attorneys about the risks of AI and escalated the issue after the court issued an order for the lawyers to explain what happened in the case. Butler Snow also mounted an internal investigation and retained another firm, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, for an independent review to verify citations in 40 other cases, the judge said. A Butler Snow spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nor did one of the lawyers representing plaintiff Frankie Johnson, or a lawyer from the Alabama attorney general's office, which had appointed Lunsford to litigate on behalf of the state, according to the order. The judge ordered the three lawyers to share a copy of the order with their clients, opposing lawyers and judges in other pending state or federal cases in which they are involved, and also to every lawyer at Butler Snow.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- The Independent
Judge considers sanctions against attorneys in prison case for using AI in court filings
A federal judge said Wednesday that she is considering sanctions against lawyers with a high-priced firm hired to defend Alabama's prison system after ChatGPT was used to write two court filings that included nonexistent case citations. U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco held a hearing in Birmingham to question attorneys with the Butler Snow firm about the filings. She said there were five false citations in two filings in federal court. Manasco said that nationally, there have been broad warnings from courts about the use of artificial intelligence to generate legal filings because of the potential for inaccuracies. Manasco said she is considering a range of sanctions, including fines. She gave the firm 10 days to file a brief with the court. Butler Snow lawyers repeatedly apologized during the hearing. They said a firm partner, Matt Reeves, used ChatGPT to research supporting case law but did not verify the information before adding it to two filings with the federal court. Those citations turned out to be 'hallucinations' — meaning incorrect citations — by the AI system, they said. Four attorneys signed the filings with the information, including Reeves. 'Butler Snow is embarrassed by what happened here, which was against good judgment and firm policy. There is no excuse for using ChatGPT to obtain legal authority and failing to verify the sources it provided, even if to support well founded principles of law,' firm lawyers wrote in a response to the judge. Reeves told the judge that he alone was responsible for the false citations and that, 'I would hope your honor would not punish my colleagues.' Alabama has paid millions of dollars to the firm to defend the state prison system and its officials in lawsuits. That includes representing the state as a defendant in a Department of Justice lawsuit alleging that male inmates live in violent and cruel conditions. The filings in question were made in a lawsuit filed by an inmate who was stabbed on multiple occasions at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Jefferson County. It alleges that prison officials are failing to keep inmates safe. Manasco also questioned Bill Lunsford, head of the Butler Snow division that handles prison litigation, who signed the filings. Alabama's attorney general has appointed Lunsford as a deputy attorney general because he represents the state in court. Lunsford wrote in a response to the judge that he scanned over the documents before filing them but did not do a detailed review since it had been reviewed by Reeves. He told the judge that the firm has been proactive in warning lawyers about the limitations of artificial intelligence.
Associated Press
21-05-2025
- Associated Press
Judge considers sanctions against attorneys in prison case for using AI in court filings
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, (AP) — A federal judge said Wednesday that she is considering sanctions against lawyers with a high-priced firm hired to defend Alabama's prison system after ChatGPT was used to write two court filings that included nonexistent case citations. U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco held a hearing in Birmingham to question attorneys with the Butler Snow firm about the filings. She said there were five false citations in two filings in federal court. Manasco said that nationally, there have been broad warnings from courts about the use of artificial intelligence to generate legal filings because of the potential for inaccuracies. Manasco said she is considering a range of sanctions, including fines. She gave the firm 10 days to file a brief with the court. Butler Snow lawyers repeatedly apologized during the hearing. They said a firm partner, Matt Reeves, used ChatGPT to research supporting case law but did not verify the information before adding it to two filings with the federal court. Those citations turned out to be 'hallucinations' — meaning incorrect citations — by the AI system, they said. Four attorneys signed the filings with the information, including Reeves. 'Butler Snow is embarrassed by what happened here, which was against good judgment and firm policy. There is no excuse for using ChatGPT to obtain legal authority and failing to verify the sources it provided, even if to support well founded principles of law,' firm lawyers wrote in a response to the judge. Reeves told the judge that he alone was responsible for the false citations and that, 'I would hope your honor would not punish my colleagues.' Alabama has paid millions of dollars to the firm to defend the state prison system and its officials in lawsuits. That includes representing the state as a defendant in a Department of Justice lawsuit alleging that male inmates live in violent and cruel conditions. The filings in question were made in a lawsuit filed by an inmate who was stabbed on multiple occasions at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Jefferson County. It alleges that prison officials are failing to keep inmates safe. Manasco also questioned Bill Lunsford, head of the Butler Snow division that handles prison litigation, who signed the filings. Alabama's attorney general has appointed Lunsford as a deputy attorney general because he represents the state in court. Lunsford wrote in a response to the judge that he scanned over the documents before filing them but did not do a detailed review since it had been reviewed by Reeves. He told the judge that the firm has been proactive in warning lawyers about the limitations of artificial intelligence.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Bay Minette man sentenced for attempted child sex trafficking
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WKRG) — A Bay Minette man was sentenced Wednesday for attempting to sex traffic a child, according to the United States Department of Justice. Strong winds cause 'trashnado' at Mobile Mardi Gras parade According to a news release from the USDOJ, U.S. District Court Judge Anna Manasco sentenced William Guy Long to 276 months in prison followed by a life term of supervised release. Long will also have to pay $5,000 under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015. He pled guilty to the charge in October. The plea agreement shows Long scheduled to meet with an escort and offered the escort $500 to bring an underage girl to have sex with him. He said he wanted someone 10 years old or younger, and the escort told Long she had a 9-year-old daughter. Long said he preferred someone younger, like age 4 or 5, but would pay $800 to have the escort check her daughter out of school for the day and bring her to him. The meeting was set, but the escort called law enforcement instead of getting her daughter. Law enforcement used text messages to confirm that Long had made this request, has learned. ICE agents, along with Hoover and Pelham police officers, conducted surveillance at the hotel where the arrangement was set to take place. Long opened the door to find law enforcement instead of the child. According to the USDOJ, Long then admitted to communicating with the escort to solicit a child for an unlawful sex act. Law enforcement seized and searched Long's phone with his consent. VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering moving Mobile operations to Pensacola Other text messages Long had sent to other people said 'get me a young one' and 'the younger you find the more money I'll pay FYI,' according to the USDOJ release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
