"Before This Court, Artificial Intelligence Is Optional. Actual Intelligence Is Mandatory"

Words from Magistrate Judge Jason Robertson (E.D. Okla.) in last week's Mattox v. Product Innovations Research, LLC. A bit of background:

Plaintiffs' counsel submitted [eleven] pleadings containing fabricated case citations, erroneous citations, quotations of nonexistent law, and misstatements of law. The filings ranged from summary-judgment briefing, to motions in limine, and even a sanctions motion. The pattern was not inadvertent, and it was not harmless. The Court values trust among advocates, but trust must be earned through verification. In this case, filings were trusted, but never verified, and the results speak for themselves.

The court imposed $6K in punitive sanctions on the lawyers, and also required them to compensate the other side for >$23K in attorney fees.