The Florida Supreme Court warned practitioners Thursday that misuse of artificial intelligence in any state proceeding can lead to an attorney’s sanction and punishment.
The justices issued an update to general practice rules, alerting attorneys and pro se litigants that signing a document filed in court means the filer represents that “the legal authorities identified exist and are accurately cited.” The ruling takes effect June 15.
The court said it “adopted these amendments ‘principally to create a statewide, uniform replacement for varied circuit court administrative orders imposing disclosure and certification requirements about the use of artificial intelligence in filings.’”
Like all states, Florida’s attorney regulators have tackled AI hallucinations with guidance, punishment, and enforcement policies.
Two years ago The Florida Bar adopted ethics guidelines for this technology. A host of practitioners and even a state judge have since faced sanctions for misuse of large language models that have created false or misleading work.
Leaders within the bar are brainstorming ways to get dependable AI tools into the hands of more practitioners, while state courts have been issuing rules requiring attorneys to certify that they’ve checked AI work.
The new rule specifically said that while it replaces local rules, it doesn’t impact the powers of trial courts to crack down on misuse. Sanctions can include “reprimand, contempt, striking of the document, dismissal of proceedings, costs, attorneys’ fees, or other sanctions,” the opinion said.
The court is accepting public comments on the rule through Aug. 11.
The case is In re: Amendments to Florida Rule of Gen. Prac. and Jud. Admin. 2.515, Fla., No. SC2026-0673, 5/28/26.
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