Cassata v. Michael Macrina Architect, P.C.
SC New York · Jan 27, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- state
- Court
- SC New York
- Record ID
- cassata-v-michael-macrina-architect-pc-2026-01-27
- Observed outcome
- The court struck the defendant's opposition brief and imposed a $10,000 monetary sanction.
- Known monetary consequence
- $10,000
Why this matter warrants attention
The court imposed a $10,000 monetary sanction and struck the defendant's opposition brief after counsel submitted filings containing fabricated case law and quotations. The court found that counsel failed to verify research obtained from an unvetted brief, violating ethical duties of competence, diligence, and candor.
Misrepresented: Case Law | Counsel cited Becker v Elm Air Conditioning Corp., 143 AD2d 965, 966 (2nd Dep't 1988) for a proposition the case does not support; court found mischaracterization of the holding. || Fabricated: Exhibits & Submissions | Counsel copied large portions of an unrelated brief (For a Financial Asset Securitization 2021, LLC v Teona, 2025 WL 334218) that itself had been criticized for non-existent cases; defendant adopted those unverified authorities without verification. || Fabricated: Case Law | Counsel cited Harris v Seward Park Housing Corp., 147 AD3d 589 (1st Dep't 2017), which the court found does not exist; citation originated from copied brief and was not verified. || Fabricated: Case Law | Counsel cited DiLorenzo v D.C. & D. Transp. Corp., 39 AD2d 950 (2nd Dept, 1972), which the court found does not exist. || False Quotes: Case Law | A quotation attributed to Harris v Seward Park Housing Corp. was included in the opposition but does not appear in any cited case and was found only in the copied brief and defendant's filing. || Misrepresented: Case Law | Counsel cited New York Univ. v Cont'l Ins. Co., 87 NY2d 308, 323 (1995) for a proposition the case does not support; court found the citation mischaracterized the precedent.
Never adopt authorities from another brief without independent verification — borrowed citations carry borrowed fabrications.
Failure modes and consequences
- Fake Citations
- Fabricated Quotes
- Misrepresented Authority
- Tort
- Trial
- Monetary
- AI attribution
- Implied
- Recorded tool
- AI-enhanced Westlaw (implied)
- Known monetary consequence
- $10,000
- Procedural posture
- Sanctions hearing and decision following a Show Cause Order regarding frivolous conduct in court filings.
Damien Charlotin case archive
Publisher document archive. The recorded document is hosted in the upstream publisher archive.
Open underlying sourceA recorded source link is not a substitute for checking the underlying order, filing, opinion, or disciplinary record.
What this record does—and does not—establish
Counsel admitted to using Westlaw and the court noted the firm's access to AI-enhanced versions.
Retained unchanged after audit: the existing summary is source-specific, non-placeholder, and supported by the recorded source link. Read the underlying source before relying on it for legal advice or a filing.
Latest evidence review: Primary Document Verified (high confidence).
Controls suggested by the public record
- Verify each cited authority, quotation, and proposition against the underlying source before filing.
- Assign a responsible reviewer for AI-assisted research and drafting.
- Retain a matter-level record of source checks and corrections.