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Public trackerEvidence checked Jul 23, 2026 · Latest decision Jul 21, 2026Public incidents are risk signals, not usage-adjusted rates
Evidence-linked corpus record: this page is generated from the structured public record and has a publication-readiness score of 90/100. It passed the source, context, and standalone-summary checks used for public indexing; individual legal editorial review is not represented.
Zachariah Crabill Disciplinary Case
Colorado SC · Nov 21, 2023
CO / stateEditorial impact: career endingtrial
Direct answer
What happened in this matter?
Outcome: 90-day Actual Suspension (+ stayed term, probation). AI UseAttorney Zachariah C. Crabill, relatively new to civil practice, used ChatGPT to research case law for a motion to set aside judgment, a task he was unfamiliar with and felt pressured to complete quickly.Hallucination DetailsCrabill included incorrect or fictitious case citations provided by ChatGPT in the motion without reading or verifying them. He realized the errors ("garbage" cases, per his texts) before the hearing but did not alert the court or withdraw the motion.Ruling/SanctionWhen questioned by the judge about inaccuracies at the hearing, Crabill falsely blamed a legal intern.…
- Why the court cared
- The disciplinary ruling focused on the combination of negligence (failure to verify, violating competence and diligence) and intentional misconduct (lying to the court, violating candor). While mitigating factors (personal challenges, lack of prior discipline) were noted in the stipulated agreement, the dishonesty significantly aggravated the offense
- Why it matters now
- If AI citations are challenged, disclose immediately and withdraw the filing — blaming staff turns negligence into suspension.
Why this matter is tracked
Outcome: 90-day Actual Suspension (+ stayed term, probation).
AI Use
Attorney Zachariah C. Crabill, relatively new to civil practice, used ChatGPT to research case law for a motion to set aside judgment, a task he was unfamiliar with and felt pressured to complete quickly.
Hallucination Details
Crabill included incorrect or fictitious case citations provided by ChatGPT in the motion without reading or verifying them. He realized the errors ("garbage" cases, per his texts) before the hearing but did not alert the court or withdraw the motion.
Ruling/Sanction
When questioned by the judge about inaccuracies at the hearing, Crabill falsely blamed a legal intern. He later filed an affidavit admitting his use of ChatGPT and his dishonesty, stating he "panicked" and sought to avoid embarrassment. He stipulated to violating professional duties of competence, diligence, and candor/truthfulness to the court. He received a 366-day suspension, with all but 90 days stayed upon successful completion of a two-year probationary period. This was noted as the first Colorado disciplinary action involving AI misuse.
Key Judicial Reasoning
The disciplinary ruling focused on the combination of negligence (failure to verify, violating competence and diligence) and intentional misconduct (lying to the court, violating candor). While mitigating factors (personal challenges, lack of prior discipline) were noted in the stipulated agreement, the dishonesty significantly aggravated the offense.
Operational lesson
If AI citations are challenged, disclose immediately and withdraw the filing — blaming staff turns negligence into suspension.
Record details
ColoradoSingle-state evidence scope
CourtColorado SC
Jurisdictionstate
Circuit10th Circuit
DateNov 21, 2023
CH
AI toolChatGPT
Party typeLawyer
Outcome90-day Actual Suspension (+ stayed term, probation)
Known amountNot recorded
Professional sanctionYes
Attribution boundary
What the record establishes about AI use
reported
ChatGPT is recorded in the source dataset; confirm the basis in the linked document.
Procedural posture
90-day Actual Suspension (+ stayed term, probation)
Correction behavior
Correction behavior is not separately verified in the current record.
Questions this record answers
- What happened in Zachariah Crabill Disciplinary Case?
- Outcome: 90-day Actual Suspension (+ stayed term, probation). AI UseAttorney Zachariah C. Crabill, relatively new to civil practice, used ChatGPT to research case law for a motion to set aside judgment, a task he was unfamiliar with and felt pressured to complete quickly.Hallucination DetailsCrabill included incorrect or fictitious case citations provided by ChatGPT in the motion without reading or verifying them. He realized the errors ("garbage" cases, per his texts) before the hearing but did not alert the court or withdraw the motion.Ruling/SanctionWhen questioned by the judge about inaccuracies at the hearing, Crabill falsely blamed a legal intern.…
- Why does Zachariah Crabill Disciplinary Case matter for legal AI risk?
- If AI citations are challenged, disclose immediately and withdraw the filing — blaming staff turns negligence into suspension.
- What does the public record establish about Zachariah Crabill Disciplinary Case?
- The record summarizes the outcome described in the linked public source. The recorded link is a secondary or other public source and should be checked against the docket where available. This page is not a substitute for the complete docket, subsequent history, or jurisdiction-specific advice.
- Which source supports this Zachariah Crabill Disciplinary Case summary?
- The recorded source is law360.com. It is classified as secondary or other linked source; review the linked material and subsequent docket history before relying on this summary.
Related matters
Related by court, jurisdiction, tool, or classified failure pattern. Similarity does not imply the same facts or outcome.