Oregon Supreme Court dismisses petition because of false AI-generated legal citations
Oregon Supreme Court dismisses petition because of false AI-generated legal citations
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/05/oregon-supreme-court-ai-falsehoods/
Publish Date: 2026-06-05 21:48:00
Source Domain: www.opb.org
AI tools like Claude, Chat GPT and others are being misused and creating fictitious cases and quotes in legal filings in Oregon and the rest of the U.S. Photo taken April 28, 2026.
Allison Frost / OPB
Oregon’s high court struck down parts of two cases with AI-generated fabricated citations Friday, marking the first time the state’s Supreme Court has addressed false information from artificial intelligence.
Experts across the country are sounding the alarm over lawyers and individuals who represent themselves in court increasingly using AI products that make up false citations or quotes. Researchers estimate more than 1,000 cases have inaccuracies due to AI tools.
Some of those cases are making national headlines. Last summer, lawyers representing the chief executive for bedding manufacturer MyPillow were fined $3,000 each in federal court for using AI to submit filings with dozens of mistakes. In Oregon, a lawyer was fined a steep $110,000 in district court, considered the highest penalty yet.
But this is the first time the Oregon Supreme Court has addressed the issue.
“We recognize that AI products may seem like an appealing short-cut to legal research and presenting legal arguments,” Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court Meagan A. Flynn said Friday in a statement about the rulings. “But when the court has to spend considerable time and effort addressing fabricated legal arguments, it comes at the expense of other cases.”
Related: Unethical AI use in legal filings on the rise in Oregon and the US, along with penalties
In the first case the court addressed, justices dismissed a petition for a writ of mandamus. The plaintiffs in the case submitted supporting documents using LegalAI that cited previous cases that don’t exist, and included fake quotes. When asked to resubmit the paperwork, it still included AI-generated falsehoods.
“Rather than taking the time necessary to ensure that they did not compound the burdens on the court, however,” the…
