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Connecticut judge fines attorney $3,500 over AI errors in taco trademark case

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17

Why it matters

A Connecticut federal judge imposed a $3,500 fine on defense attorney Hilary B. Miller and referred him to the Federal Grievance Committee after he filed two motions containing AI-generated errors in a trademark dispute. The filings included misstated case holdings and fabricated citations. Miller represented Tacobarn entities in a trademark infringement case brought by Bartaco, a restaurant chain with approximately 31 locations. The judge struck both motions from the docket and found that Miller's conduct demonstrated subjective bad faith despite his stated remorse and promises to strengthen his verification procedures.

The specific errors in Miller's filings have not been detailed in public records. The scope of the Federal Grievance Committee's review and any potential additional discipline remain unclear.

The sanction reflects an accelerating judicial response to AI hallucinations in legal filings. Federal judges across multiple cases this year have penalized attorneys for submitting unverified AI-assisted work, treating the issue as both a case management and professional responsibility problem. Attorneys should assume that courts will scrutinize AI-generated citations and legal authorities with heightened skepticism and that reliance on AI tools without rigorous verification creates significant malpractice and disciplinary exposure.

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