{"id":28791,"date":"2025-10-29T16:25:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T16:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/28791\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T16:25:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T16:25:12","slug":"phony-ai-generated-court-cases-cited-in-o-c-by-defense-in-kluwe-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/28791\/","title":{"rendered":"Phony AI-generated court cases cited in O.C. by defense in Kluwe lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Good morning! It\u2019s Wednesday, Oct. 29. I\u2019m Carol Cormaci, bringing you this week\u2019s TimesOC newsletter<\/a> with a look at some of the latest local news and events from around the county.<\/p>\n

Just about anyone who has ever written a term paper, or a (legit) news article, or anything else that is supposed to be researched and turned in by the time an unforgiving deadline comes around, is likely familiar with the stomach-knotting pressure that scenario produces. Ah, but in these days when we are seeing exponential growth in the fascinating field of artificial intelligence, some might wonder just how much labor they should bother putting into intellectual tasks that lie before them. <\/p>\n

Like the sirens\u2019 song that lured unwitting sailors to their deaths in Homer\u2019s \u201cOdyssey,\u201d AI beckons some souls with the tempting promise of help in the form of anonymous work that might safely be passed off as their own. But a word to the wise: No matter how friendly, even caring, AI bots may seem, there are hidden dangers in trusting the quality and accuracy of their output.<\/p>\n

Exhibit A, if you will, of the pitfalls of taking such shortcuts came to us last week in the form of a story written by City News Service\u2019s Paul Anderson, a veteran reporter, about a courtroom procedure. We published it in the Daily Pilot; you can find it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Anderson was covering a defamation lawsuit that names Orange County resident Chris Epting<\/a> brought by Chris Kluwe, a former NFL punter and activist from Huntington Beach. Kluwe, you may recall, was taken into custody<\/a> in February for an act of civil disobedience at a public meeting of his hometown\u2019s city council. Kluwe was critical of the councilmembers and their push for a MAGA plaque to be installed on the city\u2019s library, not only to their faces the night he was arrested, but also on social media. <\/p>\n

Epting amplified Kluwe\u2019s postings, framing them in a way that made it seem Kluwe was espousing violence. That, Kluwe alleges, led to his subsequent firing from the coaching job he held at Edison High in Huntington Beach Union High School District.<\/p>\n

According to Anderson\u2019s article, Kluwe\u2019s attorney, Daniel Sasse, discovered the court briefs presented by Epting\u2019s lawyer, William J. Becker Jr., cited \u201cthree cases that didn\u2019t exist at all,\u201d which indicated \u201cBecker did not check the work produced by the artificial intelligence at all. Sasse counted 22 examples of incorrect citations to legal precedence,\u201d Anderson writes.<\/p>\n

Citing bogus cases provided to Becker by AI did not amuse U.S. District Judge Fred Slaughter, according to the article. The judge asked Becker what sanctions he believed he deserved. Here\u2019s the exchange, as reported by Anderson:<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe monetary sanctions are appropriate,\u201d Becker said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo zero is the answer?\u201d Slaughter replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cZero is the answer,\u201d Becker said.<\/p>\n

Becker argued that the \u201chumiliation\u201d alone in being admonished for the misstep was punishment enough.<\/p>\n

Slaughter said it was \u201cunacceptable\u201d to submit court briefs with fictitious cases for arguments on precedent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no excuse for this,\u201d Slaughter said.<\/p>\n

The article goes on to report Becker admitted to feeling ashamed, but he put the blame on the budget his nonprofit, Freedom X Law, operates under. He told the judge the briefs in question were prepared \u201cin haste,\u201d because, \u201cI have zero resources. [And] in this case, I\u2019m up against a big, big law firm.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time I got that far into the story, I found myself wondering less about how Kluwe\u2019s defamation lawsuit itself was proceeding and more about whether or not the judge would sanction Becker for relying heavily on AI. But I\u2019ll have to wait for another day, as the article ends with a note that Slaughter would rule on that later.<\/p>\n

MORE NEWS \"Shoppers <\/p>\n

Westminster Mall is being redeveloped. The site could soon offer 3,000 housing units and at least 600,000 square feet of upscale retail space.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Most of the shops at Westminster Mall are expected to shut down today, Oct. 29, when their leases expire, according to the Westminster city manager. The site could soon offer 3,000 housing units and at least 600,000 square feet of upscale retail space, under a project approved in 2022, the Los Angeles Times reports<\/a>. JCPenney, the mall\u2019s oldest anchor store, is slated to close by Nov. 21. Best Buy and Target are expected to remain open for a few more years as the property undergoes redevelopment.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Amid a slowdown in demand for electric vehicles possibly caused by the recent expiration of a federal tax credit that saved customers $7,500 on new electric vehicles and $4,000 on used ones, Irvine-based e-truck\/SUV manufacturer Rivian is laying off hundreds of employees (about 4.5% of its workforce), according to this Times article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Newport Beach-based Chipotle Mexican Grill has agreed to pay $246,000 to settle a consumer protection lawsuit alleging that it wouldn\u2019t allow California customers to cash out gift cards with a balance of under $10, authorities announced last week.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Nearly 300,000 low-income Orange County residents<\/a> receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase their groceries. With the federal shutdown blocking upcoming disbursements<\/a> of those benefits, there is concern widespread hunger is looming as this month\u2019s allotments are used up. \u201cAdvocates warned of a tidal wave of need as home pantries and CalFresh cards run empty \u2014 which they said is no longer a risk but a certainty,\u201d this article on the subject<\/a> by a team of Times staff writers notes. <\/p>\n

\u2022 The U.S. Department of Justice plans to monitor polling sites in Orange County<\/a> as well as four other California counties during the Nov. 4 special election in which voters will decide whether to approve Proposition 50, a temporary statewide redistricting aimed at adding more Democrat representation in Congress. State Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said Monday he anticipates the Trump administration will use false reports of voting irregularities<\/a> to challenge the election\u2019s results. Orange County voters in search of information about the election can find it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The Huntington Beach City Council voted last week in closed session<\/a> to appeal an Orange County Superior Court judge\u2019s order <\/a>that the city return books the council had caused to be moved to a youth-restricted area back to their original locations inside the city\u2019s Central Library.<\/p>\n

PUBLIC SAFETY & CRIME \"Concrete <\/p>\n

Concrete Corning technicians on Thursday at the scene of methane gas leak at 3606 Marcus Ave., Newport Beach <\/p>\n

(Susan Hoffman)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Seven Newport Beach homes were evacuated a week ago<\/a> after methane gas, which originated from crude oil that had been oozing up into a Marcus Avenue house since the summer, was detected by officials checking on the property. The oil has been seeping from a vintage 1920s oil well 800 feet underground that had been capped long ago. Most of the evacuees were allowed back home this week, but the house experiencing the seepage will remain red-tagged indefinitely until a permanent solution is identified and implemented by the homeowner, city officials announced Monday. <\/p>\n

\u2022 A small airplane in distress made an emergency landing<\/a> Thursday night on the sand in Huntington Beach, between lifeguard towers 11 and 13. The pilot and the sole passenger escaped safely.<\/p>\n

\u2022 A bat found Oct. 16 on a sidewalk on the west side of South Main Street in Orange tested positive for rabies. Health officials caution residents to avoid contact with wild animals and seek medical help if they may have been exposed to the virus.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Four people who were found dead in a Fullerton apartment<\/a> last Tuesday, after a friend called police saying he believed the group had overdosed on drugs, were identified by officials as Ramon Louis Luera, 28, of Chino; Melissa Angela Lopez, 29, of Pomona; Victor Alfonso Herrera, 41, of Los Angeles and Christipher James Satterfield, 51, of Anaheim. The deceased were members of the same softball team, according to the report.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jurors last Wednesday convicted 34-year-old Camden Burton Nicholson<\/a> in the 2019 killing of his parents and their housekeeper in Newport Beach, completing the first phase of his trial. The second phase requires them to determine if he was criminally insane at the time, which will determine whether he will go to prison for life, or to a mental institution for an indefinite period.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The Orange County district attorney\u2019s office issued a report that determined sheriff\u2019s deputies acted properly<\/a> when they returned fire and killed a retired police officer who had just shot and killed three patrons<\/a> and injured six at Cook\u2019s Corner, a landmark Trabuco Canyon biker bar, on Aug. 23, 2023.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Carlos Ramierz Valdez, a Santa Ana pastor, was sentenced Friday to 45 years to life in prison<\/a> for sexually assaulting three girls he met through churches in Garden Grove, Santa Ana and Riverside. The 61-year-old Valdez was given credit for 1,723 days behind bars and was ordered to register as a sex offender.<\/p>\n

\u2022 A Los Angeles man who had been behind the wheel of an Infiniti that was reportedly speeding on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway died at about 8:30 a.m. Monday after being involved in a three-vehicle crash on the northbound side of the freeway near Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine, City News Service reported. On Tuesday, at around 5:45 a.m. on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway, also in Irvine, a motorcycle rider was killed after his bike went down and was struck by several vehicles. <\/p>\n

SPORTS \"From <\/p>\n

From top right: the Dodgers\u2019 Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and Tommy Edman, and the Blue Jays\u2019 George Springer, Trey Yesavage and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.<\/p>\n

(Photos by Associated Press and Getty Images; Photo illustration by Tim Hubbard \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u2022 How about those Dodgers making the World Series, in which they are now tied 2-2 with Toronto? Alas, since Shohei Ohtani<\/a> left our collective home base for a greener diamond up the freeway, he is no longer a perfect fit for our TimesOC newsletter. But here\u2019s an article that is: Times sportswriter Bill Shaikin muses about a different Angels\u2019 missed opportunity<\/a> that took place10 years ago, when they could have hired Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who today is a star player for the Blue Jays.<\/p>\n

\u2022 More Shaikin musings on the Halos can be found in this piece, published online Sunday: \u201cWould MLB make Arte Moreno sell Angels in wake of Tyler Skaggs trial?\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"AnnaSofia <\/p>\n

Corona del Mar High flag football player AnnaSofia Dickensrecently wrote the book, \u201cWe Run This House,\u201d a Girls Guide to Flag Football,\u201d which was released Tuesday.<\/p>\n

(Don Leach \/ Daily Pilot)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Shifting from MLB to a high school story about flag football, a sophomore at Corona del Mar High hopes to empower other girls to excel in the sport she and her family love. To that end, AnnaSofia Dickens recently wrote \u201cWe Run This House: The Girls\u2019 Guide to Flag Football.\u201d The book is designed to offer tips from Dickens\u2019 own experience, as well as that of NFL standouts and women\u2019s football greats, according to this Daily Pilot feature story<\/a> by Matt Szabo.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Maury Young, a senior distance runner for Ocean View High, ran the 3-mile course at Oak Canyon Park in 14 minutes 36.2 seconds during the Oct. 18 Orange County cross-country championships. Young\u2019s time gave him the school record<\/a> previously set in 1986 by Haissam Sabra at the Dana Hills Invitational.<\/p>\n

LIFE & LEISURE \"Jerry <\/p>\n

Jerry McGraw sits below deck in the living space of his boat, the Po\u2019oino Roa.<\/p>\n

(Elizabeth Carroll)<\/p>\n

\u2022 As part of a deeper dive they took into the subject of people living aboard their boats along the SoCal coastline, a group of USC Annenberg master\u2019s journalism students prepared for the Daily Pilot this story<\/a>, for which they interviewed a few mariners who find living in Newport Harbor a dream. Part of the allure is lower housing costs, but the overarching sentiment is that they love living on the water.<\/p>\n

\"Pan <\/p>\n

Pan de Muerto, a matcha concha and puerquitos cookies are traditional and non-traditional Mexican sweet breads found at Pan Y Cafe in Santa Ana.<\/p>\n

(James Carbone)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Santa Ana has a new panaderia, writes<\/a> my colleague Sarah Mosqueda. \u201cOur main goal is good bread at an affordable price,\u201d Samuel Ruiz, Pan Y Cafe owner, told the reporter in a recent interview. \u201cBut I also want to get other cultures to enjoy what is such a nostalgic thing for me and a lot of Mexicanos.\u201d Pan Y Cafe is located at 324 West 4th St., Santa Ana. Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.<\/p>\n

CALENDAR \"Robert <\/p>\n

Robert Petkoff and the company of the 2025 touring production of \u201cMoulin Rouge! The Musical.\u201d <\/p>\n

(Matthew Murphy)<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cMoulin Rouge! The Musical\u201d opened last night<\/a> at Segerstrom Center for the Arts and will continue through this Sunday. The Tony Award-winning show is inspired by director Baz Luhrmann\u2019s 2001 film, \u201cMoulin Rouge.\u201d Tickets start at $44 and are available at scfta.org<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u2022 The Coast Film and Music Festival opens Saturday in Laguna Beach and will run through Nov. 9. Ninety-six films are scheduled to be showcased this year, according to this feature article<\/a> about the festival. For tickets, visit coastfilmfestival.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Although it is a year-round offering, Halloween week seems like an ideal time to check out the \u201cGhost Hunter\u201d escape room experience in Lake Forest. The premise, according to this story<\/a> by Daily Pilot contributor Jessica Peralta, is this: After you are admitted into a nondescript building you are part of a group that must investigate a mission by a team of amateur ghost hunters, who started hours ago but lost contact with headquarters. \u201cGhost Hunter\u201d<\/a> is recommended for a group of six but can host from four to 12 people. It is recommended for ages 13 and up.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all I\u2019ve got for you this week. On a personal note, you may have noticed that John Canalis, my kind boss, stepped in at the last minute to write last Wednesday\u2019s newsletter on my behalf when I was sidelined by a mishap. I was so grateful for his help, but am pleased to be back in the saddle.<\/p>\n

Until next Wednesday,
Carol<\/p>\n

KEEP IN TOUCH<\/p>\n

We appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Good morning! It\u2019s Wednesday, Oct. 29. I\u2019m Carol Cormaci, bringing you this week\u2019s TimesOC newsletter with a look…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28792,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[6650,163,165,164,6653,588,2624,6651,6649,63,3906,6652,1594,6654,6283,2058,6648,430],"class_list":["post-28791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-action","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-andrea-mcelroy","tag-huntington-beach","tag-june","tag-kirstin-walsh","tag-like-minded-people","tag-los-angeles-times","tag-month","tag-orange-county-resident","tag-other","tag-pearson-park","tag-president","tag-protest","tag-turbulent-time","tag-week"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}