Ascent Management Inc v. Shell Oil Company
The case
Ascent Management Inc v. Shell Oil Company, Court of Common Pleas of Montgomery County, Ohio, Case No. 2024 CV 03112, order electronically filed April 30, 2026 (Judge Steven K. Dankof). Copy of primary document: `files/sources/D-141-ascent-management-v-shell.pdf`. Source URL: https://www.damiencharlotin.com/documents/2464/Ascent_Management_v._Shell_USA_30_April_2026.pdf
What happened
Attorney Ghassan Jamal Deek admitted that artificial intelligence was used to produce every filing he had submitted in the case, resulting in numerous citation errors and issues, including a fake "Perrico v. Verizon" citation. His filings also contained unprofessional character attacks on defense counsel that the court found were made to harass counsel and cause unnecessary delay. He never offered a satisfactory explanation for the attacks.
The rule and the sanction
The court found willful violation of Ohio Civ.R. 11, frivolous conduct under R.C. 2323.51(A)(2), and sanctionable abuse of the judicial process under its inherent authority. It granted Shell and True North Energy's motion for sanctions and awarded $5,273.00 in expenses and attorneys' fees against plaintiffs' counsel Ghassan Jamal Deek, payable in full no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 29, 2026.
How it could have been avoided
Verify every AI-generated filing against real authorities before submitting anything. Keep filings professional, since courts weigh uncivil conduct together with fake citations. Reject any request to delay sanctions payment as the claims proceed, since courts view delay requests as further abuse.