# Lawyer fined $5,000 over AI-fabricated witnesses in murder appeal

https://mins.news/en/item/55159

- The Verge, 2026-09-11 20:44 UTC
- Tech
- Original: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/994207/chatgpt-new-mexico-lawyer-fined-murder-appeal

> New Mexico’s Supreme Court fined lawyer Stephen Aarons $5,000 and held him in contempt after his AI-generated appeal brief included fabricated witnesses and false police testimony. The court said he failed to verify its factual claims and legal authority. Aarons called it an honest mistake and said he was remorseful.

## Related coverage

- [US lawyer cites fabricated witnesses in murder appeal and blames ChatGPT](https://mins.news/en/item/55164) — Al Jazeera, 2026-09-11
- [ChatGPT-using lawyer punished for citing fake testimony from invented witnesses](https://mins.news/en/item/55208) — Ars Technica, 2026-09-11
