Overview
- A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that attorneys Mike Singh Sethi and William Rounds used generative AI to produce briefs that cited nonexistent or misrepresented cases and then downplayed those errors.
- The court fined each lawyer $2,500, suspended their right to practice in the 9th Circuit for six months, and required the firm to notify all clients and staff about the discipline.
- Judges also ordered the lawyers to include sworn statements in future filings that disclose whether AI was used, with the court citing breaches of duties of competence, diligence, and candor.
- The panel declined to withdraw its November decision that halted the deportation of three family members from India, leaving that relief in place while imposing discipline for the flawed filings.
- The case highlights a wider problem of unchecked AI 'hallucinations' in legal work, with oversight reports finding hundreds of apparent AI-produced false citations and courts increasingly using sanctions and disclosure rules to manage the risk.