Judge removes all four lawyers in a Mississippi case over fake cases

In a fee dispute between a lawyer and the City of Aberdeen, Mississippi, lawyers on both sides filed briefs that cited cases that do not exist. The city's lead lawyer had used an AI research tool, and the plaintiff's lead lawyer had used generative AI to draft. Neither checked the output, and their local co-counsel signed without reading. The court canceled the trial set for March 2026. On June 8, 2026, the judge revoked the two lead lawyers' admission to the case and barred them from that federal court for two years. The court removed all four lawyers, fined them $8,000 in total and sent the order to three state bars.