These three lawyers cited fake AI law, now they’re in trouble: “you can’t just cite sources that don't exist”
Three Dutch lawyers have been slapped on the wrist for incorrectly using artificial intelligence (AI) technology in court cases. Two of them have been sent to attend an obligatory AI course.
That’s what Wouter Timmermans of the Dutch Bar Association has told Dutch news outlet NOS.
It revolves around cases in which lawyers used AI technology, such as ChatGPT, to support their arguments in court. Their arguments contained references to previous rulings, but those rulings turned out to be unrelated to their case, or didn’t even exist.
So far, three lawyers have been caught using AI improperly. Two of them now have to participate in a course on responsible use of AI technology. Several investigations are currently ongoing into the improper use of AI.
“The worst thing I’ve seen is lawyers blindly accepting what AI produces and then submitting it in court without checking it. What AI produces often reads very logically, even if it’s actually nonsense. You can’t be 100 percent sure that the information is correct,” Timmermans states.
Prof. Dr. Lodewijk Smeehuijzen of the University of Amsterdam says that lawyers who misuse AI technology should be ashamed.
“As a lawyer, you can’t just cite sources that don't exist. These kinds of AI programs write texts that aren’t always accurate. You always have to check them. Not doing so is serious. You’re not doing yourself or your reputation any favors,” he told the NOS.
In December 2025, the Court of Den Bosch issued a ruling in a case in which a man tried to win his case without a lawyer, using AI. The plaintiff used ChatGPT to support his arguments. This course of action led to a lot of additional work.
“References were made to completely irrelevant articles. As a lawyer, you immediately see what’s wrong. And yet, I had to put in extra hours to refute the nonsense,” the opposing party’s lawyer told the Dutch news outlet.
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