New Mexico Supreme Court fines lawyer $5,000 for AI‑generated false witnesses

The New Mexico Supreme Court has sanctioned attorney Stephen Aarons after a review revealed that his appellate brief relied on artificial‑intelligence‑generated content containing fabricated evidence. In a filing released Wednesday, the court imposed a $5,000 fine and held Aarons in contempt for failing to verify the factual claims and legal authority presented in the brief, which included “false testimony from wholly fabricated witnesses” and invented details about a shooter’s clothing and appearance. The court noted that the brief also cited nonexistent police testimony, prompting concerns about the reliability of AI‑assisted legal drafting.

Justice C. Shannon Bacon questioned Aarons during an August hearing about his awareness of the risks associated with using AI in legal documents, emphasizing the duty of counsel to ensure accuracy. The ruling underscores the judiciary’s growing scrutiny of AI tools in litigation and serves as a warning to attorneys about the consequences of unverified, machine‑generated content. The case was initially reported by Reuters and further covered by The Verge.