Lawyer fined $5K over AI-hallucinated witnesses in a murder case

<figure> <img alt="Digital photo collage of a judge with gavel whose hands has too many fingers." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25384193/STK470_AI_LAW_CVIRGINIA_C.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">New Mexico's Supreme Court is punishing a lawyer for including AI-fabricated witnesses and fake police testimony in an appeal for his client's murder conviction, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/chatgpt-invented-fake-police-testimony-murder-appeal-new-mexico-high-court-says-2026-09-11/">a report from <em>Reuters</em></a>. In <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28617907-nm-lawyer-ai-brief/">a filing on Wednesday</a>, the court fined Stephen Aarons $5,000 and held him in contempt for failing to "verify the factual claims and legal authority in his AI-generated brief."</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The filing says the brief "contained false testimony from wholly fabricated witnesses," along with "false testimony" about the shooter's clothing and appearance. Justice C. Shannon Bacon questioned how Aarons wasn't aware of the risks posed by AI during an August hearing …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/994207/chatgpt-new-mexico-lawyer-fined-murder-appeal">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>