Sixth Circuit — Van Irion and Russ Egli

In Whiting v. City of Athens, the Sixth Circuit imposed another unusually severe sanction. The attorneys' briefs contained more than two dozen fake citations and factual misrepresentations, with hallmarks of AI hallucination. The court…

Educational summary Legal AI risk Not legal advice

In Whiting v. City of Athens, the Sixth Circuit imposed another unusually severe sanction.

The attorneys' briefs contained more than two dozen fake citations and factual misrepresentations, with hallmarks of AI hallucination.

The court imposed:

$15,000 punitive sanctions against each attorney;
double appellate costs;
opposing parties' reasonable appellate fees.

The Sixth Circuit described the conduct as damaging to the reputation of the bar.

Again, however:

not disbarment.

Sources