Zachariah Crabill Disciplinary Case
Colorado SC · Nov 21, 2023
- Jurisdiction
- state
- Court
- Colorado SC
- Record ID
- zachariah-crabill-disciplinary-case-2023-11-21
- Observed outcome
- 90-day Actual Suspension (+ stayed term, probation)
- Known monetary consequence
- Not recorded
Why this matter warrants attention
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.…
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
If AI citations are challenged, disclose immediately and withdraw the filing — blaming staff turns negligence into suspension.
Failure modes and consequences
- Trial
- Professional
- AI attribution
- Reported
- Recorded tool
- ChatGPT
- Known monetary consequence
- Not recorded
- Procedural posture
- 90-day Actual Suspension (+ stayed term, probation)
law360.com
Secondary or other linked source. The recorded link is not classified as an official court source or docket mirror.
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
ChatGPT is recorded in the source dataset; confirm the basis in the linked document.
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.
Latest evidence review: Primary Document Limited (medium confidence).
Controls suggested by the public record
- Escalate unresolved verification failures before filing and preserve the responsible reviewer's signoff record.
- Apply the same source-checking controls to ChatGPT output as to any other research input.
- Read the linked source and subsequent docket history before relying on this record for legal work.