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Oregon Attorney Fined 10,000 Dollars for Filing AI Generated Brief With Bogus Citations News By Lucille McNamara On Mar 25, 2026 Credit: Joe Gratz SALEM, Ore. — A Salem civil attorney has been fined $10,000 for signing an AI-generated legal brief containing bogus information obtained by his paralegal. Bill Ghiorso was fined the record amount for this type of offense by the Oregon Court of Appeals, to which he had appealed, arguing that he had not intentionally included false information in his filings. The Legal Brief Contained 24 Bogus Quotes and Citations The appellate court, however, determined that Ghiorso had signed a legal brief containing nine bogus quotes and 15 bogus citations generated by artificial intelligence. Tidings Context ORCP 17, applied in Oregon appeals through ORAP 1.40, requires lawyers who sign filings to certify their legal positions are warranted by existing law or a nonfrivolous argument. In his argument, the Salem attorney stated that he had relied on the research undertaken by his paralegal. His argument was dismissed by presiding Judge Scott Shorr in a March 18 written opinion. Tidings Insight The court treated this as a lawyer duty failure, not an AI glitch: once Ghiorso signed the brief, he certified the cited law existed and accurately supported the arguments. Second Case of an Attorney in the State Using AI-Generated Information This was the second occurrence involving an Oregon attorney using false information generated by AI . In December last year, the appeals court created a fine schedule of $500 to $1,000 per AI error. Tidings Insight The $10,000 figure was not improvised: using the Ringo formula, the court said the false citations and bogus quotations could have produced at least a $16,500 sanction. In his written opinion, Judge Shorr said while Ghiorso could have been fined $16,500, he had set the fine at $10,000 because the Salem attorney had recently experienced medical problems. The first fine for an AI offense was issued to Oregon attorney Keith E. Powell last month. He was fined $500 at an employment board hearing where he represented himself. The Legal Brief Involved a Marijuana Production License Ghiorso’s case involved a marijuana production license, which was revoked by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission in 2022. In his written appeal, Ghiorso claimed that he had only one day in which to write a memo, but court records reveal that the attorney had requested several delays to file his opening brief in the appellate court. Ghiorso himself had selected November 4, 2022, as the deadline. Marion County Salem Share Twitter Facebook ReddIt WhatsApp Pinterest Email