New Mexico lawyer fined for using AI-generated brief containing fabricated testimony

Stephen Aarons said he tried to use ChatGPT to create a ‘bulletproof summary’ during a murder conviction appeal

Reuters

Published Sep 11, 2026

New Mexico lawyer fined for using AI-generated brief containing fabricated testimony

A defense lawyer appealing his client’s murder conviction submitted a legal brief containing ⁠made-up police testimony and ⁠witnesses fabricated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, New Mexico’s highest court said.

The New Mexico supreme court on Wednesday fined the attorney, Stephen Aarons, and held him in contempt for failing to verify the accuracy of the court ⁠filing, which Aarons said he prepared with help from the artificial intelligence (AI) application.

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New Mexico lawyer fined for using AI-generated brief containing fabricated testimony

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