Zhang v. Chen
In a family law dispute over children's travel to China, defendant's counsel cited two non-existent cases generated by ChatGPT. The fabrications were discovered by opposing counsel. Canada's first reported decision addressing AI-hallucinated citations in court filings.
| Court | Supreme Court of British Columbia |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2024 BCSC 285 |
| Jurisdiction | British Columbia |
| Decided | |
| Parties | Plaintiff / Applicant: Ms. Zhang Defendant / Respondent: Mr. Chen |
| Judge | Justice David Masuhara |
AI context
AI system: ChatGPT (OpenAI)
Defendant's counsel used ChatGPT for legal research. The tool produced two fabricated case citations that were filed in court materials without independent verification.
Significance
Canada's first reported decision addressing AI-hallucinated citations in court filings. Set early expectations for counsel's duty to verify AI-generated legal research.
Outcome
Costs AwardCounsel ordered to personally bear extra costs incurred by opposing counsel due to fabricated citations. Special costs declined.