Florida appeals court finds 46 AI hallucinations, sanctions lawyer

A lawyer for Capital Standard appealed a Pinellas County judgment in favor of U.S. Bank. His amended initial brief and reply brief contained 46 hallucinated authorities, 31 in the first and 15 in the second, including quotes that do not exist. The court ordered him to produce every case he cited. He missed the deadline and later said he had not fully appreciated that AI tools can invent citations. The court found generative AI had been his main research tool, not a supplement. On August 21, 2026, Florida's Second District Court of Appeal upheld the judgment, fined him $1,500, made him personally pay U.S. Bank's fees for answering his brief, and referred him to The Florida Bar.