Lawyers for a Los Angeles firm representing State Farm in a lawsuit involving the rebuilding of a home after a fire have apologized for artificial intelligence hallucinations in their filings.
The homeowner’s lawyers discovered in motions filed by State Farm “cases that do not exist, quotes that do not exist, and holdings that do not exist,” according to a filing by Eric Khodadian, who is representing Fa’alagilagi Meni-Siliga.
Citing non-existent cases should be an instant lose of the case irregardless if it comes from AI, intentional fabrication, or just plain incompetence.
I’d accept removal from the case (an innocent person can have an incompetent lawyer) plus referral to the state bar for an ethics investigation, minimum. Find a good explanation for why you presented falsified claims to the court or get disbarred, ideally.
It should be reason for disbarment.
FYI this seems to be the AI tool mentioned in the article. Funny, I don’t see anything on the homepage about the fact their tool can spew inaccurate nonsense. But they do present some gems like “The question is not what the plan costs. It is what the plan includes when the work gets heavy.” 🤣
