CHA lawyers cite fake AI-generated court case in motion
Lawyers at Goldberg Segalla, representing the Chicago Housing Authority in a lead paint case, used ChatGPT to cite a nonexistent court case in a post-trial motion. The firm apologized and disclosed that one attorney violated the firm's AI policy by failing to verify the AI-generated citation before filing.
What happened
Lawyers at Goldberg Segalla, hired by the Chicago Housing Authority, used ChatGPT to cite a nonexistent Illinois Supreme Court case, Mack v. Anderson, in a post-trial motion filed in a lead paint case.
The case was being used to persuade a judge to reconsider a jury's $24 million verdict against CHA. Goldberg Segalla apologized in a June 18 court filing, calling it a 'serious lapse in professionalism,' and stated that one attorney in direct violation of the firm's AI use policy used AI technology and failed to verify the citation before including it.
Reported impact
The firm requested that the court not punish CHA for the attorney's mistake.
Index analysis
An investigation revealed no intent to deceive the court and that no other attorneys at the firm were aware of the improper citation.
Governance controls
Goldberg Segalla implemented firm-wide measures to re-educate attorneys on its AI use policy and established preventative measures.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.