Ethics
Suspended lawyer accused of citing hallucinated case in bid to reinstate law license
The national flag flies in front of the Iowa Supreme Court building in June 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Scott McFetridge/The Associated press)
A suspended Iowa lawyer cited at least one hallucinated case likely generated by artificial intelligence in his bid to return to law practice, according to a motion filed by the Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board.
Court filings by suspended Des Moines lawyer Royce David Turner include “what appears to be at least one AI-generated citation to a case that does not exist or does not stand for the proposition asserted in the filings,” the board says in a July 9 motion.
Turner cited the “imaginary case” In re Mears in a July 5 brief supporting his application for reinstatement and in two other court filings, according to motion to strike the three filings.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch has a report on Turner’s disciplinary case.
The Iowa Supreme Court suspended Turner in 2018 and conditioned reinstatement on Turner providing an evaluation by a licensed mental health professional on his fitness to practice law as well as proof that he paid nearly $8,000 in client refunds, fines and court costs.
The state supreme court said he violated disciplinary rules through neglect, trust account violations and failure to provide competent representation in bankruptcy proceedings.
Over a span of 20 months, the state supreme court said, Turner “was repeatedly rebuked by state and federal judges for missing hearings and violating court rules. He was found in contempt several times. Three of his clients were arrested and two were jailed for missing hearings he overlooked.”
The supreme court said Turner received multiple warnings from Iowa judges and the federal bankruptcy court through orders to show cause, sanctions and rulings finding him in contempt. He was also subjected to an audit of his client trust account. “Turner disregarded many wake-up calls to clean up his act,” the court said.
The court noted mitigating factors, including that Turner suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression. He also took business classes and limited his caseload to eight clients after an interim suspension without any new complaints.
But the attorney disciplinary board has opposed Turner’s multiple requests for reinstatement filed since 2022, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Besides citing a fake case, the board said, Turner has not provided sufficient proof from a mental health professional on his fitness to practice law.
The Iowa Supreme Court canceled a reinstatement hearing scheduled for July, saying that Turner had not established “convincing proof” of fitness to practice nor proof of payment to his clients, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports.
The ABA Journal placed a call to Turner at the number listed by the Iowa Judicial Branch. A message said his voicemail box was not set up for messages. He did not comment when contacted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
Hat tip to the Legal Profession Blog.
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