New Mexico attorney fined after submitting court brief with AI-generated testimony

The short version

• The New Mexico supreme court held defense attorney Stephen Aarons in contempt and fined him $5,000 for submitting an appeal brief containing fabricated police testimony and witness accounts created by ChatGPT.[The Guardian]
• Aarons stated he used the tool to summarize trial materials for murder convict Oscar Renee Sandoval and called the error an honest mistake.[The Guardian]
• Justices ruled Aarons showed insufficient remorse and announced plans to refer him to an attorney disciplinary board for investigation.[The Guardian]

Key facts

• The New Mexico supreme court fined defense lawyer Stephen Aarons $5,000 and held him in contempt for filing a brief with AI-generated false testimony.[The Guardian]
• The fabricated testimony was submitted during the appeal of Oscar Renee Sandoval, who received a life sentence for murder.[The Guardian]
• Aarons explained he supplied trial transcripts to ChatGPT aiming for a bulletproof summary and failed to anticipate hallucinated facts.[The Guardian]
• The state supreme court plans to refer Aarons to a disciplinary board for formal investigation.[The Guardian]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• New Mexico lawyer fined for using AI-generated brief containing fabricated police testimonyThe Guardian - World