Oregon Attorney Fined 10,000 Dollars for Filing AI Generated Brief With Bogus Citations

SALEM, Ore. — A Salem civil attorney has been fined $10,000 for signing an AI-generated legal brief containing bogus information obtained by his paralegal.

Bill Ghiorso was fined the record amount for this type of offense by the Oregon Court of Appeals, to which he had appealed, arguing that he had not intentionally included false information in his filings.

The Legal Brief Contained 24 Bogus Quotes and Citations

The appellate court, however, determined that Ghiorso had signed a legal brief containing nine bogus quotes and 15 bogus citations generated by artificial intelligence.

In his argument, the Salem attorney stated that he had relied on the research undertaken by his paralegal. His argument was dismissed by presiding Judge Scott Shorr in a March 18 written opinion.

Second Case of an Attorney in the State Using AI-Generated Information

This was the second occurrence involving an Oregon attorney using false information generated by AI.

In December last year, the appeals court created a fine schedule of $500 to $1,000 per AI error.

In his written opinion, Judge Shorr said while Ghiorso could have been fined $16,500, he had set the fine at $10,000 because the Salem attorney had recently experienced medical problems.

The first fine for an AI offense was issued to Oregon attorney Keith E. Powell last month. He was fined $500 at an employment board hearing where he represented himself.

The Legal Brief Involved a Marijuana Production License

Ghiorso’s case involved a marijuana production license, which was revoked by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission in 2022.

In his written appeal, Ghiorso claimed that he had only one day in which to write a memo, but court records reveal that the attorney had requested several delays to file his opening brief in the appellate court. Ghiorso himself had selected November 4, 2022, as the deadline.