A Springfield attorney has been fined for citing eight non-existent cases in briefs created with artificial intelligence.
The Fourth District Appellate Court ordered William Panichi to pay a one-thousand-dollar fine and forfeit the 69-hundred dollars he received as payment on the parental rights case.
The court also referred the case to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. The court opinion says AI usage is allowed, and while Panichi may not have intended to submit fictitious information, he was careless by not verifying it.
The opinion also states the case appears to be the first one considered by the state appellate court on fictitious cases generated by AI.
