PHOENIX (AZFamily) \u2014 A Valley attorney is facing discipline from a federal judge after AI cited fake cases and fabricated quotations in legal filings.<\/p>\n
The issue emerged in a discrimination lawsuit against the Phoenix Suns. A former employee claimed she was sexually harassed and retaliated against. The Suns\u2019 attorneys spotted the problem.<\/p>\n
The federal judge called this a case of AI hallucinations \u2014 court filings with made-up legal references. In the legal filing, the judge cited at least 18 fake references.<\/p>\n
Attorney takes responsibility<\/p>\n
Sheree Wright is the attorney representing the former Suns employee.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a duty to take full responsibility and I do so here,\u201d Wright said. \u201cIt\u2019s obviously disappointing that this happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wright blamed her staffer for filing the wrong brief while she was on bereavement leave for a close family member. She would later say it was her dog that had died.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she thought her version was better than mine. Because I guess she was on bereavement leave and she believed I wasn\u2019t in the frame of mind to draft a brief,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n
Three different motions had questionable citations.<\/p>\n
\u201cSame staff member assigned to the cases,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n
Growing problem in legal profession<\/p>\n
Sean Harrington is an attorney and the director of ASU\u2019s AI and Legal Tech Studio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not surprised. This is something that\u2019s been at the forefront of attorneys\u2019 minds because it\u2019s so common,\u201d Harrington said.<\/p>\n
He said there have been more than 12,000 cases of so-called AI hallucinations in court filings, and those are only the ones known.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen serious sanctions, we haven\u2019t seen anyone get disbarred because of it, but we have seen people get suspended. Depending on what judge you\u2019re going in front of it can have very serious penalties,\u201d Harrington said.<\/p>\n
As punishment, the judge is ordering Wright to cover some attorneys\u2019 fees. She must also take additional training on ethical use of AI. A copy of the ruling was forwarded to the Arizona State Bar and all district and magistrate judges in Arizona.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, to just, I don\u2019t use AI in drafting any pleadings,\u201d Wright said when asked if there\u2019s a lesson for other attorneys.<\/p>\n
U.S. District Judge Murray Snow called Wright\u2019s explanation a \u201cconvoluted tale.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement, the Phoenix Suns said the order \u201cspeaks for itself. As we have said all along, the underlying claims are baseless, and we look forward to defeating the remaining claims in court.\u201d<\/p>\n
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