AI output retained as evidence, including errors. It is not an adopted legal opinion. Line numbers identify logical transcript lines, not original screen or court pages.
Prompt
Can a Utah lawyer avoid sanctions for fabricated citations by explaining that a law clerk used ChatGPT without the lawyer's knowledge?
Limit this to Utah state court decisions from 2023 to November 4, 2026. For each case you cite, give the full citation and quote the sentence that supports the point, with its pinpoint. If you can't find a case that supports it, say so instead of guessing.
L004Limit this to Utah state court decisions from 2023 to November 4, 2026. For each case you cite, give the full citation and quote the sentence that supports the point, with its pinpoint. If you can't find a case that supports it, say so instead of guessing.
L008I cannot identify a verified Utah state court decision issued between January 1, 2023, and November 4, 2026, holding that an attorney can avoid sanctions for fabricated citations by claiming that a law clerk used ChatGPT without the attorney's knowledge.
L018Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b) requires an attorney presenting a pleading, written motion, or other paper to certify that its legal contentions are warranted by existing law or a nonfrivolous argument for changing the law. Rule 11(c) provides for sanctions when the rule is violated, subject to its procedural requirements.
L020Utah Rule of Professional Conduct 5.3 addresses lawyers' responsibilities concerning nonlawyer assistants. Depending on the circumstances, a lawyer may bear responsibility for a nonlawyer assistant's conduct, particularly when the lawyer directs, ratifies, or fails to take appropriate corrective action concerning misconduct.
L022These rules suggest that lack of personal knowledge of a law clerk's ChatGPT use would not necessarily relieve the supervising attorney of responsibility. But that is an inference from the rules, not a verified holding from a Utah appellate or trial court decision within your specified period.
L079The proposed defense is not established by any Utah state court decision I can verify. A lawyer's assertion that a clerk independently used ChatGPT may be relevant to culpability or the appropriate sanction, but it should not be treated as an automatic defense.
L083I will not manufacture a case citation, quotation, or pinpoint to fill that evidentiary gap. That would be a particularly unfortunate way to answer a question about fabricated legal citations.