Norwegian Supreme Court Receives Legal Filing with Fabricated Citations from AI
The Norwegian Supreme Court received a legal filing in the first quarter of 2025 containing fabricated legal citations and references reportedly generated by an AI tool used by the attorney who submitted it. The court's internal review process detected citations to nonexistent laws and legislative materials, and the chief justice stated the attorney had failed to verify the sources before filing.
What happened
The Norwegian Supreme Court received a legal filing in the first quarter of 2025 relating to an appeal of a procedural matter in a civil case. The filing contained citations to laws and legislative materials that did not exist.
The court's internal review process, which routinely examines key legal sources referenced in filings, detected that the fabricated citations included both references to nonexistent laws and quotations from sources that could not be verified. Chief Justice Toril Marie Øie stated that the attorney had not checked the sources from the AI tool before submitting the filing.
Reported impact
The court's chief justice expressed surprise at the lack of verification. She noted that while AI hallucinations are not new, this was the first time the problem had come to a head in the Norwegian Supreme Court.
Index analysis
The chief justice stated that the court is aware artificial intelligence has arrived and can be a useful tool for lawyers, but emphasized the responsibility lawyers have when choosing to use such tools. She noted that lawyers have different resources and support structures, and stressed the importance of providing good information and clarifying expectations to attorneys.
Governance controls
Øie stated that the Supreme Court has the authority to impose procedural fines or bring matters before the Bar Association, but did not employ these measures in this case. However, she indicated that if the problem of hallucinations in filings persists, the court may use its available sanctions. She emphasized the court's expectation that this should not be a problem going forward.
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.