Home / Crime and Justice / Judge Sanctions Firm Manager Over AI Legal Error
Judge Sanctions Firm Manager Over AI Legal Error
2 May
Summary
- A manager was sanctioned for a junior lawyer's AI-generated false citation.
- The supervising attorney was fined $1,001 and must complete AI ethics training.
- Courts grapple with AI use, leading to sanctions for unverified outputs.
A federal judge in San Francisco has sanctioned Lenden Webb, managing partner of Webb Law Group, for a junior attorney's mistaken use of artificial intelligence in a court brief. The brief contained a false case citation, leading to the fine of $1,001 and mandatory training on AI ethics for Webb.
Magistrate Judge Peter Kang stated that supervising lawyers have a duty to ensure all legal representations to the court are ethical. This ruling addresses the growing use of AI in legal practices and the accountability of senior attorneys for AI-generated errors.
The erroneous citation involved a real case name and number but from different states, with the decision not appearing in either. The junior attorney, Katherine Cervantes, cited using Westlaw AI, admitting to a system error during copy-pasting. Thomson Reuters stated its AI tools were not responsible, emphasizing attorney verification is crucial.
Webb acknowledged failing to review the filing despite a disclaimer about potential errors. He was the counsel of record on the filing, making him responsible for its content, even if he did not draft it.
