Nonsensical claims and false citations in court submissions have become a hardy perennial of the Gazette news agenda. Often, the culprit has trusted AI and failed to conduct a slop test. Cue red faces all round and an excruciating dressing-down.

The embarrassment ratcheted up a notch in the New York Supreme Court recently, where a video has emerged of the bench tearing strips off a lawyer whose arguments consisted of completely fabricated authorities. 

So what’s new?

Well, this indignation was not reserved for the perpetrator – the other side got both barrels too.

Judges in Landberg v City of New York patiently point out to one of the attorneys that he had cited false cases and invited him to spend 15 minutes outside court working out how he had found them. The stuttering lawyer says he needs to review his papers, but struggles to explain how the errors occurred.

The video then shows his opposing counsel starting to talk, before being asked why he had not brought these bogus citations to the court’s attention. He apologises, but again tries in vain to explain his own oversight.

The upshot is a court order directing that all parties explain why they should not face sanctions and/or costs. And probably another anxiety dream for all the litigators out there.

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