A federal judge in Mississippi removed all four attorneys from a civil lawsuit, imposed $8,000 in fines, and barred two lawyers from appearing in the district for two years after both sides submitted court filings containing fake legal citations generated by artificial intelligence.
U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock issued the sanctions on June 8, 2026, in a contract dispute between Louisiana attorney Tom Withers III and the City of Aberdeen, Mississippi. The discovery of fabricated court decisions had already prompted the judge to suspend proceedings and cancel a trial scheduled for March 23.
The dispute began when Withers sued Aberdeen over unpaid legal fees. While reviewing motions filed in November 2025, Aycock found nonexistent court decisions cited in documents submitted by both sides. She ordered all four attorneys to appear at a January 20 hearing, where two admitted to using AI tools and their local colleagues acknowledged signing filings without adequate review.
Kathleen Wilson, who represented Withers, used an AI program called First Drafts to prepare a response to the city's request for judgment before trial. Her filing cited two fabricated court decisions. Wilson told Aycock she had used the software for approximately six months and was unaware that AI could invent legal authorities.
The judge called that explanation "insufficient and incredulous." Wilson subsequently submitted additional fabricated citations in a separate Louisiana bankruptcy proceeding, despite having already appeared before Aycock over similar errors. A Louisiana court sanctioned her on April 9.
Aberdeen attorney Kathryn Williams acknowledged using an AI research tool that produced four unverifiable citations across two filings. The software was primarily designed for jurisdictions where her Texas-based law firm regularly practiced, which did not include Mississippi.
Williams also violated her firm's policy requiring independent verification of AI-generated research. Aycock found that she acted in bad faith and rejected her argument that the filings' legal positions remained valid despite the fabricated citations.
The other two attorneys, Shauncey Hunter Ridgeway and Mark McClinton, faced sanctions for allowing their electronic signatures on documents prepared by their out-of-state colleagues without adequately reviewing them. Neither had personally generated the false citations.
Aycock found that all four lawyers violated Federal Rule 11, which requires attorneys to make a reasonable inquiry into the legal arguments and authorities they submit to court. She characterized the local lawyers' conduct as negligent and careless.
"In an era of rampant unverified AI usage within the legal field, this case presents a prime example of the risk associated with serving as a rubber stamp when acting as local counsel," Aycock wrote.
Wilson and Williams lost their permission to represent clients as out-of-state attorneys in the lawsuit and were barred from entering appearances in any case before the Northern District of Mississippi for two years. Williams received a $3,500 fine, while Wilson was fined $2,500 and ordered to complete legal education addressing AI and professional ethics.
Ridgeway and McClinton were each fined $1,000 and disqualified from further participation. Aycock also directed the court clerk to forward the sanctions order to bar authorities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas for possible disciplinary action.
The ruling left both Withers and Aberdeen without their attorneys. Aycock extended the suspension of proceedings for 60 days and gave the parties until August 7 to secure new representation, with Withers permitted to represent himself.
Under the June order, Withers faced dismissal of his lawsuit if he failed to obtain another attorney or notify the court that he intended to proceed without one by the deadline.
