Two lawyers from the law firm Levidow, Levidow & Oberman P.C. have been fined $5,000 for an incident related to a court filing. The lawyers in question, Stevens Schwartz and Peter LoDuca, filled a court brief that contained fake citations created by an artificial intelligence tool called ChatGPT. The law firm acted in bad faith according to the findings of US District Judge P. Kevin Castel, who went on to explain that the lawyers disregarded the indications that the citations were fake and made misleading statements to the court. Roberto Mata was the client the lawyers represented in this case. He had claimed that he was injured on a flight from El Salvador to New York back in 2019.
Castel questioned the three lawyers, who, despite being identified as the law firm’s sole equity partner, Thomas Corvino, continued to stand by the fake citations. During the hearing on June 8, 2021, Castell subsequently imposed a fine and threw out Mata’s case for being filed too late. In addition, Castel ordered the lawyers to distribute his opinion and a transcript of the hearing to Mata and the six falsely identified judges who had ‘authored’ the fictitious court opinions cited in the brief.
Castel’s opinion stated, The Court will not require an apology from respondents because a compelled apology is not a sincere apology. Any decision to apologize is left to respondents. Despite this, the lawyers, law firm, or client in question have not issued an apology.
The case is Mata v. Avianca, 22-cv-01461, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Related to the Above News
What was the incident for which the lawyers from Levidow, Levidow & Oberman P.C. were fined?
The lawyers from Levidow, Levidow & Oberman P.C. were fined $5,000 for filling a court brief that contained fake citations created by an artificial intelligence tool called ChatGPT.
What did the US District Judge P. Kevin Castel conclude about the actions of the lawyers?
The US District Judge P. Kevin Castel concluded that the lawyers acted in bad faith by filing fake legal documents and making misleading statements to the court.
Who was the client that the lawyers represented in this case?
The client that the lawyers represented in this case was Roberto Mata, who had claimed that he was injured on a flight from El Salvador to New York back in 2019.
What was the outcome of the hearing on June 8, 2021, where Castel questioned the lawyers?
Castel imposed a fine and threw out Mata's case for being filed too late. In addition, he ordered the lawyers to distribute his opinion and a transcript of the hearing to Mata and the six falsely identified judges who had 'authored' the fictitious court opinions cited in the brief.
Did the lawyers, law firm or client apologize for their actions?
No, despite the opinion of Castel, the lawyers, law firm, or client in question have not issued an apology.
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