Lawyers accused of AI misuse in FIFA case fined $24,400

By Mike Scarcella

Sept 24 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Puerto Rico has sanctioned two plaintiffs’ lawyers over error-filled court filings in a lawsuit involving professional soccer, awarding more than $24,400 in legal fees to Paul Weiss, Sidley Austin and other law firms that accused the lawyers of misusing artificial intelligence in the case.

Chief U.S. District Judge Raúl Arias-Marxuach said in a Tuesday order that the fees were justified based on court filings that included at least 55 defective citations to cases. He said the attorneys denied using AI to prepare their filings, "but the sheer number of inaccurate or nonexistent citations suggests otherwise."

FIFA, soccer's world governing body, is fighting claims that it conspired to restrict sanctioned tournaments and matches in Puerto Rico, leaving players with fewer options.

The sanctioned attorneys, José Olmo-Rodríguez and Ibrahim Reyes, represent the Puerto Rico Soccer League in the lawsuit. They did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and neither did FIFA.

The lawyers had urged the court not to impose sanctions, arguing in a filing that their errors were “inadvertent, minor, and did not prejudice the court or defendants," and that they had complied with ethical obligations.

Arias-Marxuach ruled in April that sanctions were justified, paving the way for Tuesday's order.

Judicial scrutiny of artificial intelligence in the legal practice has increased rapidly as more lawyers are accused of misusing the technology by failing to vet the output it generates. Judges have fined attorneys or levied other sanctions in dozens of cases.

Defense lawyers in the FIFA case had sought nearly $60,000 in fees. Arias-Marxuach rejected that figure, saying he found no precedent for such a high amount in any AI-related sanctions case.

He reduced the award after finding some billing entries didn't have enough information to determine whether the time was properly charged.

Paul Weiss was awarded $8,425 in fees, and Sidley Austin received $4,435. The judge applied rates that reflected billing practices in Puerto Rico, rather than those typical for New York and other major markets.

Arias-Marxuach said he hoped the sanctions “will deter plaintiffs’ counsel, as well as other attorneys practicing in this district, from engaging in similar misbehavior in the future.”

The case is Puerto Rico Soccer League NFP et al v. Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol et al, No. 3:23-cv-01203-RAM.

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