Judge Tammy Long Hayward imposed a personal sanction of $25,498.08 on attorney Tristan Gillespie after finding that several briefs he filed contained non-existent case citations generated by an artificial-intelligence application.

The sanction followed a hearing in which defense counsel (Mister Kennedy) documented repeated filings that included fictitious authorities and described time and fees spent responding. Kennedy asked the court to order reimbursement of fees and to dismiss the case; Hayward declined to dismiss the underlying case but agreed that Gillespie should personally bear the fees for responding to the spurious filings.

"You are responsible for whatever you file with the court," Hayward told Gillespie, emphasizing that the duty of candor and basic professional responsibilities attach even when lawyers use automated tools. The judge ordered the $25,498.08 judgment be paid to Kennedy’s firm within 120 days and directed the parties to submit a proposed order reflecting the sanction.

Gillespie acknowledged reliance on an AI tool in earlier filings, saying, "I'll confess the technology is new to me," and told the court that he now uses dedicated legal research software. He asked the court to await the state bar's review; Hayward said the bar referral was separate and that she would not delay imposing a sanctions remedy for court time and expense.

Kennedy told the court that the fictitious citations had derailed discovery and substantially increased defense costs. The judge accepted that account and made sanctions "personally payable" by Gillespie so the plaintiff would not be penalized for counsel’s conduct.

Hayward also instructed defense counsel to prepare a proposed order on sanctions for the court to sign and directed the clerk to place the bar referral in the record. The court left other pending merits motions to be resolved on their separate records.

The sanction order is final as to the court; Gillespie may pursue any administrative or appellate steps available to him or wait for the state bar to complete its review.