📌 Judge’s Reaction
At the hearing, Judge Augustin-Birch said the court itself reviewed Owoc’s filings and counted 11 fake citations total:
- 6 in Owoc’s motion
- 5 in his reply brief.
That aligns with Monster’s observation and makes clear the court views this as serious misconduct in legal filings.
“It appears to the court that because of the volumes, the citations and some of the language that is used, the court took some time to try to decipher all of this and it appears to the court that AI may have been used in or order for you to prepare both your motion and your reply,” she said.
Judge Augustin-Birch then ordered Owoc to explain why he included fake, AI-generated legal citations in his motion to dismiss Monster Energy’s lawsuit to enforce a $377 million judgment it obtained over false advertising claims following a 2022 jury trial in California.
Judge Augustin-Birch didn’t immediately issue an order, but she did admonish Owoc:
“I just want you to understand that when you represent yourself, you cannot rely on AI and not check to make sure that the cases you are using are correct propositions,” she said. “Just because you are not an attorney, that does not mean you do not have to follow the rules.”
