Richard LaRoche v. Darla Sterett (LaRoche)
Vermont SC · Nov 13, 2025
- Jurisdiction
- state
- Court
- Vermont SC
- Record ID
- richard-laroche-v-darla-sterett-laroche-2025-11-13
- Observed outcome
- The court imposed a sanction requiring the attorney to file the entry order in all pending Vermont Superior Court cases where he has entered an appearance and to file a certification of compliance in the current docket.
- Known monetary consequence
- Not recorded
Why this matter warrants attention
The Vermont Supreme Court sanctioned attorney Donald P. LoCascio for filing a brief containing a fabricated quotation generated by an 'AI helper.' The court found the attorney violated V.R.C.P. 11(b)(2) by failing to perform a reasonable inquiry into the accuracy of his legal contentions, ordering him to disclose the sanction in all his pending Vermont Superior Court cases.
False Quotes: Case Law | Brief included a purported quotation attributed to Sprague v. Nally that does not appear in the opinion; counsel admitted the language originated from an AI 'helper' and failed to verify it.
Disclose AI-assisted drafting on the record and verify every quotation — unverified AI output propagates across every pending case you touch.
Failure modes and consequences
- Fabricated Quotes
- Family
- Trial
- Professional
- AI attribution
- Admitted
- Recorded tool
- Unidentified AI helper
- Known monetary consequence
- Not recorded
- Procedural posture
- The Vermont Supreme Court issued an entry order imposing a sanction following a show-cause proceeding initiated by the court regarding a violation of V.R.C.P. 11(b)(2).
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
The attorney admitted using an AI helper to draft the brief.
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.
- Follow any applicable disclosure and attribution requirements for AI-assisted work.
- Retain a matter-level record of source checks and corrections.