There is a number that should stop you cold.
As of June 9, 2026, researchers have documented 1,598 court proceedings worldwide in which AI-generated content, fabricated case citations, invented statutes, false quotes from real judgments, was submitted to a court. Of those cases, 496 involved licensed attorneys. The number is growing at roughly 8 new cases per day.
US courts imposed over $145,000 in AI-filing penalties in the first quarter of 2026 alone.
Business partner disputes are one of the most common reasons companies end up in litigation. They are also one of the most preventable.
The phone call usually starts the same way. Two or three people built a business together. Things were good for a while. Then one partner wants to leave, or wants the other one out, or stops showing up, or starts taking money they are not entitled to, or quietly starts a competing business on the side. And when the moment of crisis arrives, everyone reaches for the operating agreement.
What they find there determines almost everything about what happens next.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how information is created. Now it is beginning to change how evidence appears in court.
Emails that were never written. Audio recordings that were never spoken. Reports that resemble expert analysis but were produced by a machine.
Courts across the United States are confronting a challenge they were never designed to solve. Evidence that looks authentic, sounds credible, and may never have existed in the real world.
Chicago Business Attorney Blog