Kennon v. Ashley
D. Kansas · Feb 18, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- federal
- Court
- D. Kansas
- Record ID
- kennon-v-ashley-2026-02-18
- Observed outcome
- The court issued an order to show cause why counsel should not be sanctioned under Rule 11.
- Known monetary consequence
- Not recorded
Why this matter warrants attention
The court issued an order to show cause why Plaintiff's counsel should not be sanctioned under Rule 11 for repeatedly including fabricated quotes and nonexistent deposition testimony in a motion for reconsideration. The court found the pattern of misrepresentation egregious and ordered counsel to explain the conduct within seven days.
False Quotes: Exhibits & Submissions | A block-quoted colloquy attributed to Ashley (including 'what he said, not what he did' and 'It was the language') is quoted as from Doc.55-1 at 33:2-11 but the court found those phrases do not appear at that location or elsewhere in the deposition. || False Quotes: Exhibits & Submissions | Plaintiff quotes exchanges purportedly showing Ashley answered 'No, not that I recall,' 'There was no contact,' and 'not threatening'; court found those quoted answers do not appear in the cited portions of Ashley's deposition (Doc.55-1 at 107:13-15,108:2-6,109:1-4). || False Quotes: Exhibits & Submissions | Plaintiff attributes to Spencer a block quote denying any threatening behavior after watching bodycam ('No. I didn't.' / 'He didn't do that'); court found those phrases and the quoted exchange do not appear at Doc.55-2 80:4-6,81:1-3. || False Quotes: Exhibits & Submissions | Plaintiff quotes Ashley as saying he concluded disorderly conduct 'after reviewing the video footage' (Doc.55-1 at 151:4-9); court found the deposition does not contain 'footage' or the asserted colloquy at the cited location. || False Quotes: Exhibits & Submissions | Plaintiff attributes to Ashley a short exchange ('No.' / 'So why did you arrest him?' / 'He said, "Take me to jail." I said, "Okay."') citing Doc.55-1 at 116:12-17; court found the quoted exchange as presented does not exist and omits surrounding context that contradicts the representation. || False Quotes: Exhibits & Submissions | Plaintiff quotes a long passage allegedly from Doc.55-1 at 161:22-162:16; the court found the precise quoted passage does not exist at that citation. || Fabricated: Exhibits & Submissions | Plaintiff's brief quotes Ashley as admitting the arrest was based solely on 'language' and that there were 'no threatening gestures or movements'; court found the quoted phrase does not appear at Doc.55-1 33:7-11 or elsewhere in the deposition. || Fabricated: Exhibits & Submissions | Brief asserts Ashley testified he did not determine probable cause until months later after reviewing video; court found the cited portion (Doc.55-1 at 151:4-13) does not support that statement and the word 'footage' does not appear there. || Fabricated: Exhibits & Submissions | Plaintiff claims both Ashley and Spencer confirmed Kennon made no threatening gestures and 'never chested up' in a disorderly-conduct manner; court found Ashley's cited testimony actually describes chesting up and Spencer's testimony differs, so the quoted summary is inaccurate/nonexistent.
Every block quote from a deposition must be copy-pasted from the certified transcript, not paraphrased by AI.
Failure modes and consequences
- Fabricated Citations
- Hallucinated Quotes
- Misrepresentation Of Record
- Fake Citations
- Fabricated Quotes
- Civil Rights
- AI attribution
- Implied
- Recorded tool
- AI (implied, unspecified)
- Known monetary consequence
- Not recorded
- Procedural posture
- The court took the Plaintiff's motion for reconsideration under advisement and issued an order to show cause regarding potential Rule 11 sanctions.
Damien Charlotin case archive
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What this record does—and does not—establish
The court order does not name a specific tool, implying the use of AI through the nature of the hallucinations.
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.