Alicante court asks bar to consider discipline over AI-style fabricated quotation in brief

AI Model: Unspecified generative AI tool

I. Executive Summary

Spanish media reported that the Provincial Court of Alicante (civil section) proposed that the local bar consider disciplinary action after finding a lawyer’s appeal brief attributed a supposed verbatim quotation to a Supreme Court decision that did not appear in the actual ruling. The court stated the problem was consistent with “hallucinations” from artificial intelligence or, alternatively, a willful attempt to mislead. The incident arose in an insolvency-related proceeding and resulted in the court forwarding the matter for potential professional discipline.

II. Key Facts

A lawyer’s appellate brief included purported verbatim text attributed to a recent Spanish Supreme Court civil decision.
The Provincial Court compared the quoted passage against the underlying decision and found the quotation was not present.
The court stated the issue was consistent with AI “hallucinations” or a willful attempt to deceive.
The court decided to forward the decision to the Alicante Bar for possible disciplinary action.

III. Regulatory & Ethical Implications

Strengthens the emerging European enforcement pattern: “AI-assisted” does not mitigate a lawyer’s duty of candor and verification. The referral mechanism (court → bar) signals a pathway from procedural misconduct findings to professional discipline, incentivizing law firms to formalize AI governance, citation checking, and audit trails for drafting/research.

IV. Media Coverage & Sources