Lawyer calls ChatGPT errors in court filing ‘an honest mistake’
- The New Mexico Supreme Court held defense attorney Stephen Aarons in contempt and fined him $5,000 for submitting a court filing containing ChatGPT-generated fabricated witness testimony.
- Aarons used the AI tool to summarize trial transcripts for his client Oscar Renee Sandoval, who was convicted of murder, but failed to verify the accuracy of the generated brief.
- Justices criticized Aarons for showing a lack of concern for his client and referred him to an attorney disciplinary board for further investigation.
- Aarons called the incident an honest mistake, admitting he did not fully grasp how AI technology can hallucinate false facts.
- The case marks an escalation in court sanctions over AI misuse, as the filing contained completely made-up testimony rather than just false legal citations.
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