Latest news with #Utah
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Utah lawyer in deep water after using AI to prepare brief citing case that doesn't exist
A Utah lawyer has been sanctioned by the state court of appeals after a filing he used was found to have used ChatGPT and contained a reference to a fake court case. Richard Bednar, an attorney at Durbano Law, was reprimanded by officials after filing a 'timely petition for interlocutory appeal', that referenced the bogus case. The case referenced, according to documents, was 'Royer v. Nelson' which did not exist in any legal database and was found to be made up by ChatGPT. Opposing counsel said that the only way they would find any mention of the case was by using the AI. They even went as far as to ask the AI if the case was real, noting in a filing that it then apologized and said it was a mistake. Bednar's attorney, Matthew Barneck, said that the research was done by a clerk and Bednar took all responsibility for failing to review the cases. He told The Salt Lake Tribune: 'That was his mistake. He owned up to it and authorized me to say that and fell on the sword.' According to documents, the respondent's counsel said: '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 court said in their opinion: 'We agree that the use of AI in the preparation of pleadings is a 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.' As a result, he has been ordered to pay the attorney fees of the opposing party in the case. He was also ordered to refund any fees that he had charges to clients to file the AI-generated motion. Despite the sanctions, the court did ultimately rule that Bednar did not intend to deceive the court. They did say that the Bar's Office of Professional Conduct would take the matter 'seriously'. According to the court, the state bar is 'actively engaging with practitioners and ethics experts to provide guidance and continuing legal education on the ethical use of AI in law practice'. has approached Bednar for comment. It's not the first time a lawyer has been sanctioned for using AI in their legal briefs, after an incredibly similar situation in 2023 in New York. Lawyers Steven Schwartz, Peter LoDuca and their firm Levidow, Levidow & Oberman were ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for submitting a brief containing fictitious case citations. The judge found the lawyers acted in bad faith and made 'acts of conscious avoidance and false and misleading statements to the court'. Prior to the fine Schwartz admitted that he had used ChatGPT to help research the brief in the case.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
NCAA Baseball Tournament: Utah Valley upsets Oregon after controversial 'malicious contact' call
Utah Valley upset Oregon in the opening round of the NCAA men's baseball Eugene Regional on Friday, but the 6-5 win occurred under major controversy. The Wolverines took a 4-0 lead in the third inning with the first four batters reaching base against Ducks pitcher Jason Reitz. Reitz struck out the next two batters, but gave up a 2-run single to Mason Strong. Oregon closed the margin to 4-2 in the bottom of the frame on back-to-back home runs from Drew Smith and Anson Aroz. Advertisement Utah Valley added to its lead on a 2-run single by Jimmy De Anda in the seventh. But Ducks closed the gap to 6-4 in the eighth on Smith's second homer of the game. However, the game became hectic from there. Aroz drew a walk following Smith's home run and advanced to third on a Maddox Molony single. Chase Meggers then lofted a sacrifice fly to left field that brought Aroz in to score — or so it appeared. De Anda's throw bounced in front of Strong at the plate and the catcher couldn't snare the carom. Aroz ran hard into Strong to get to home plate, which Utah Valley coach Nate Rasmussen disputed. Rasmussen asked umpires to review the call, contending that Aroz committed "malicious contact" in running over Strong to score. After reviewing the play with the NCAA's replay command center in Pittsburgh, the umpiring crew agreed with Rasmussen. Aroz was ruled out and ejected from the game. Advertisement Not only did the call cost Oregon a run and get Aroz ejected from the game, but the outfielder is also suspended for Saturday's game against Cal Poly because of it. In the ninth, the Ducks added a run with Carter Garate drawing a walk and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Jacob Walsh. But they couldn't get the tying run across against Utah Valley's Carston Herman, who struck out Smith to end the game. Following the game, Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski was understandably upset over the call against Aroz. Umpires told him that the ruling "came from Pittsburgh" and was out of their hands. He then defended Aroz for going hard into the catcher the way he did. 'I was taught to play hard. I was taught to get after it by my dad and my coaches growing up," Wasikowski said, via The Oregonian. "And, unfortunately, playing hard was not rewarded tonight by whatever rule was supposedly violated by a player that was playing hard.' Rasmussen said he asked for the review because Aroz didn't attempt to slide. "That was the big thing. It just felt like he didn't go down for an actual baseball move," he told reporters. "That's what I saw in the moment... All I know was that our catcher got hit hard and I was right there for his safety. And I'm glad that it obviously went in our direction.' Oregon has to avoid elimination against Cal Poly on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. Utah Valley will face Arizona in the winners bracket at 9 p.m. ET.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bess powers High Wheelers to win in Ogden
Catcher Cuba Bess drove in four runs with a home run and two singles to lead a 14-hit offensive attack as the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers defeated the host Ogden, Utah Raptors 11-6 in Pioneer Baseball League play Wednesday night. The High Wheelers, 7-1, and in a tie for the league lead with the Idaho Falls Chukars, continue their series against the Raptors Thursday night.
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Trump fast-tracks Utah uranium mine, but industry revival may wait for higher prices
SALT LAKE CITY — In the southeastern Utah desert famous for red rock arches and canyon labyrinths, the long-dormant uranium mining industry is looking to revive under President Donald Trump. Hundreds of abandoned uranium mines dot the West's arid landscapes, hazardous reminders of the promise and peril of nuclear power during the Cold War. Now, one mine that the Trump administration fast-tracked for regulatory approval could reopen for the first time since the 1980s.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump fast-tracks Utah uranium mine, but industry revival may wait for higher prices
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — In the southeastern Utah desert famous for red rock arches and canyon labyrinths, the long-dormant uranium mining industry is looking to revive under President Donald Trump. Hundreds of abandoned uranium mines dot the West's arid landscapes, hazardous reminders of the promise and peril of nuclear power during the Cold War. Now, one mine that the Trump administration fast-tracked for regulatory approval could reopen for the first time since the 1980s. Normally it would have taken months, if not years, for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to review plans to reopen a project like Anfield Energy's Velvet-Wood mine 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Moab. But the bureau's regulators green-lit the project in just 11 days under a 'national energy emergency' Trump has declared that allows expedited environmental reviews for energy projects. More permits and approvals will be needed, plus site work to get the mine operating again. And the price of uranium would have to rise enough to make domestic production financially sustainable. If that happens, it would mean revival — and jobs — to an industry that locally has been moribund since the Ronald Reagan era. 'President Trump has made it clear that our energy security is national security," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in announcing the fast-tracking policy in April. 'These emergency procedures reflect our unwavering commitment to protecting both.' More fast approvals appear likely. Trump's order also applies to oil, gas, coal, biofuel and hydropower projects — but not renewable energy — on federal lands. Conditions are ripe for more U.S. uranium mining Global uranium prices are double what they were at a low point seven years ago and, for the past year, the U.S. has banned uranium imports from Russia due to that country's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. More domestic mining would address a major imbalance. The U.S. imports about 98% of the uranium it uses to generate 30% of the world's nuclear energy. More than two-thirds of U.S. imports come from the world's top three uranium-mining countries: Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan. Less government regulation won't spur more U.S. uranium mining by itself. The market matters. And while spot-market prices are up from several years ago, they're down about a third from their recent high in early 2024. While some new uranium mining and processing projects have been announced, their number falls far short of a surge. That suggests prices need to rise — and stay there — for a true industry revival, said John Uhrie, a former uranium executive who now works in the cement industry. 'Until the price goes up dramatically, you're not going to be able to actually put these places into operation,' Uhrie said. 'You need significant capital on the ground.' Still, the industry is showing new life in the Southwest. Anfield Energy, a Canadian company, also looks to reopen the Shootaring Canyon uranium mill in southern Utah near Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It closed in the early 1980s. A uranium mill turns raw ore into yellowcake, a powdery substance later processed elsewhere into nuclear fuel. Anfield officials did not return messages seeking comment on plans to reopen the mill and the Velvet-Wood mine. Energy Fuels, another Canadian company which ranks as the top U.S. uranium miner, opened the Pinyon Plain mine about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Grand Canyon in late 2023. And just off U.S. 191 in southeastern Utah is a hub of the industry, Uranium Fuels' White Mesa mill, the country's only uranium mill still in operation. In Moab, uranium has a long — and mixed — legacy These days, Moab is a desert tourism hot spot bustling with outdoor enthusiasts. But the town of 5,200 has a deeper history with uranium. Nods to Moab's post-World War II mining heyday can been spotted around town — the Atomic Hair Salon isn't just named for its blowout hairstyles. The biggest reminder is the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action project, a 480-acre (194-hectare) site just outside town. The decades-long, $1 billion U.S. Department of Energy effort to haul off toxic tailings that were leaching into the Colorado River upstream from the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead should wrap up within five more years. That mill's polluting legacy makes some Moab residents wary of restarting uranium mining and processing, especially after the Trump administration cut short their ability to weigh in on the Velvet-Wood mine plans. 'This was a process I would have been involved in,' said Sarah Fields, director of the local group Uranium Watch. 'They provided no opportunity for the public to say, 'You need to look at this, you need to look at that.'" Grand Canyon Trust, a group critical of the Pinyon Plain mine as a danger to groundwater, points out that the U.S. nuclear industry isn't at risk of losing access to uranium. 'This is all being done under the assumption there is some energy emergency and that is just not true,' said Amber Reimondo, the group's energy director. Supply and demand will decide uranium mining's future Hundreds of miles to the north, other nuclear energy projects point to the U.S. industry's future. With Bill Gates' support, TerraPower is building a 345-megawatt sodium-cooled fast reactor outside Kemmerer in western Wyoming that could, in theory, meet demand for carbon-free power at lower costs and with less construction time than conventional reactor units. Meanwhile, about 40% of uranium mined in the U.S. in 2024 came from four Wyoming 'in-situ' mines that use wells to dissolve uranium in underground deposits and pump it to the surface without having to dig big holes or send miners underground. Similar mines in Texas and Nebraska and stockpiled ore processed at White Mesa accounted for the rest. None — as yet — came from mines in Utah. Powering electric cars and computing technology will require more electricity in the years ahead. Nuclear power offers a zero-carbon, round-the-clock option. Meeting the demand for nuclear fuel domestically is another matter. With prices higher, almost 700,000 pounds of yellowcake was produced in the U.S. in 2024 — up more than a dozen-fold from the year before but still far short of the 32 million pounds imported into the U.S. Even if mining increases, it's not clear that U.S. capacity to turn the ore into fuel would keep pace, said Uhrie, the former uranium mining executive. "Re-establishing a viable uranium industry from soup to nuts — meaning from mining through processing to yellow cake production, to conversion, to enrichment to produce nuclear fuel — remains a huge lift," Uhrie said. ___ Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Mead Gruver And Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press
