Harris v. Lindell
The case
Harris v. Lindell, No. A24-0055 (Minn. Nov. 27, 2024).
What happened
Counsel cited a fictitious case in a filing (the sanctions order itself is not public; the account rests on the located secondary source and documents quoting the order). The order cited ABA Formal Opinion 512 and E. H. Humiston's September 2024 Bench & Bar column on AI use.
The rule and the sanction
The court addressed the misconduct and reminded the bar that the duties of competence and candor apply with full force to AI-assisted work.
How it could have been avoided
Treat AI as a drafting aid, not a source of authority: every case name, citation, and quotation must be confirmed in an authoritative database before it appears in a filing.