Key facts
- A lawyer has been disbarred for submitting a court filing with fake legal precedents generated by an AI chatbot.
- The AI chatbot used was ChatGPT.
- The fabricated citations were presented to a judge in a legal brief.
- The lawyer admitted to using the AI and being unaware of the fabricated content.
- The court found the lawyer's actions to be professional misconduct.
A New York lawyer has been disbarred after submitting a court filing that included fabricated legal precedents generated by an AI chatbot. Steven Schwartz was disbarred by a U.S. District Court judge for presenting fake case citations created by ChatGPT to a federal judge.
Schwartz admitted to using the AI chatbot to help draft a legal brief for a client in a personal injury case. He stated he was unaware that the AI had invented case citations and judicial opinions. The court, however, found that Schwartz's actions constituted professional misconduct, as he failed to verify the accuracy of the information before submitting it.
This case highlights the potential risks associated with relying on AI tools for legal research and drafting without rigorous fact-checking. Judge Kevin Castel noted that while AI can be a useful tool, lawyers have a duty to ensure the accuracy of all filings presented to the court.