A legal dispute between Tom Withers and the city of Aberdeen has taken a sharp turn due to attorneys' reliance on artificial intelligence, resulting in disbarment, fines, and a 60-day delay for the case. The core issue involved two out-of-state attorneys, Kathleen M. Wilson and Kathryn Y. Williams, who submitted legal filings containing citations that were entirely fabricated by AI. These AI-hallucinated citations were identified and flagged by the court.
Both Wilson and Williams acknowledged their use of generative AI for legal research and drafting, admitting they failed to verify the accuracy of the AI-generated legal authorities before filing. Their local counsel, Shauncey Hunter Ridgeway and Mark C. McClinton respectively, also faced repercussions for failing to review the filings and catch the fabricated citations.
In response to this "comedy of AI errors," as described by observer Rob Freund, the judge expressed significant frustration. The attorneys involved each apologized for their actions and explained their independent research processes. However, the court found that both Wilson and Williams bore responsibility for the unverified AI use. As a consequence, Wilson was fined $3,500 and Williams $2,500. Both have also been barred from practicing in the district for two years.
The local counsel, Ridgeway and McClinton, were each ordered to pay $1,000 for their oversight failures. The parties in the case, Withers and the city of Aberdeen, have been granted 60 days to secure new legal representation, presumably individuals who will conduct thorough verification of all submitted legal research.