The photo taken on January 2, 2025 shows the artificial intelligence letter AI on the laptop screen (R) next to the chat AI application logo on the smartphone screen in Frankfurt am main West Germany. (Photo by Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via GE
Atlanta – A Georgia appeals court fined an Atlanta lawyer after finding that the judge appears to have used artificial intelligence in one of his client's divorce cases.
The judge says it turns out that multiple cases of Diana Lynch cited in her allegations do not exist.
What we know:
In the ruling obtained by Fox 5, Judge Jeff Watkins fined Lynch $2,500 in connection with the client's divorce case order.
According to the judge, half of the orders are said to be “presumed as “hastised”” composed of generative intelligence. The other two had nothing to do with her brief lynching, Watkins said.
When pointing out the case where Lynch's client's ex-wife did not exist, the judge said that Lynch was either absent or cited almost 12 references that were indecent to the proposition. The lawyers are said to have since requested fees related to the appeal.
What they are saying:
Jackson wrote that he and the other judges were “troubled” by the false case cited in court orders.
“The fictional incidents and use of quotations by Lynch deprived the opposition of an opportunity to properly respond to her argument,” the judge wrote.
The judge also cited the warning from Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court in his 203 year-end report on federal justice. In that report, Roberts specifically warns against “hapticism” that could cite cases where lawyers do not exist.
What's next:
The fines imposed on lynching are the largest penalty permitted by the law.
The judge also overridden previous court orders and sent the case back to lower courts for reconsideration.
sauce: Information about the story comes from a ruling by the Georgia Court of Appeals.
