Attorney AI use
Dehghani v. Castro
Counsel bought a freelancer’s draft, never read the cited cases, and filed six fake authorities plus 13 that did not support the propositions stated.
Sanctions affirmed01
Case background
Material facts
A lawyer paid $750 for a response prepared through LAWCLERK. The outsourced draft contained fabricated and unsupported authority, which counsel filed without reading the underlying decisions.
02
The decision
The court’s ruling
A magistrate judge imposed $1,500, required CLE, platform notice, and reporting to licensing authorities; the district judge affirmed.
Why it matters
What the decision means
Outsourcing changes who drafts, not who signs. A marketplace or contract lawyer does not relieve counsel of the duty to read and validate every authority before filing.
Primary reading