Lawyer Fined After ChatGPT-Generated Fake Testimony Appears in Murder Appeal

The New Mexico Supreme Court has fined and held in contempt defense lawyer Stephen Aarons after finding that a court filing in a murder appeal contained fabricated police testimony and entirely fictional witnesses generated with help from OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The court imposed a $5,000 fine and referred Aarons to the state attorney disciplinary board, criticizing him for failing to verify the accuracy of the material submitted to the court.

Aarons said he used ChatGPT to summarize trial proceedings and other case materials after taking over the appeal of Oscar Renee Sandoval, who was convicted of murdering the mother of his children and sentenced to life in prison. He told the court that he had assumed the AI would produce a reliable summary and did not fully understand how easily it could “hallucinate” facts. The fabricated material reportedly included fictional statements about the alleged shooter wearing dark pants and a white shirt.

The case adds to growing concerns over lawyers relying on AI without properly checking its output. The New Mexico justices said Aarons showed a lack of remorse and concern for his client, while Justice C. Shannon Bacon expressed disbelief that lawyers could remain unaware of the widely reported risks of AI-generated misinformation. Aarons said he was remorseful and described the incident as a lesson for professionals using the technology.

Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright