{
  "id": 6795346,
  "title": "ChatGPT-using lawyer punished for citing fake testimony from made-up witnesses",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/chatgpt-using-lawyer-punished-for-citing-fake-testimony-from-made-up",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-11T19:34:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ars Technica Policy",
    "slug": "ars-technica-policy",
    "url": "https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/09/chatgpt-using-lawyer-punished-for-citing-fake-testimony-from-made-up-witnesses/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A New Mexico attorney has been punished for using ChatGPT to provide false testimony from fabricated witnesses in a legal brief, according to the New Mexico Supreme Court. The court found that the lawyer, Stephen Aarons, demonstrated a lack of remorse and disregard for his client's interests. Aarons admitted to the court that he failed to verify the accuracy of the AI-generated content and did not inform his client of the errors or the presence of misleading information in the brief. Aarons, a criminal defense attorney with over four decades of experience, was hired to appeal a murder conviction for a defendant's family. The convicted individual, Oscar Renee Sandoval, received a life sentence in February 2025 for the murder of his partner and children's mother, Shiereen Al-Jibury.",
  "summary": "\"I didn't know that AI could hallucinate facts,\" New Mexico defense lawyer says.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ars Technica",
        "title": "ChatGPT-using lawyer punished for citing fake testimony from made-up witnesses",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/chatgpt-using-lawyer-punished-for-citing-fake-testimony-from-made-up-6811230",
        "published": "2026-09-11T19:34:09.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}