T.D. Jakes is pushing a federal judge to hit attorney Tyrone Blackburn with a $76,000 penalty, pointing to Fat Joe‘s lawsuit as fresh proof of what he calls a “disturbing pattern” of AI misuse and legal negligence.
In a filing submitted Monday (September 8), Jakes’ legal team notified the court that Blackburn was again accused of submitting a court brief filled with “AI hallucinations”—this time in Fat Joe’s defamation case against his former hypeman.
Fat Joe’s lawyer blasted Blackburn last week, just weeks after Blackburn claimed to have completed 11 hours of continuing legal education on artificial intelligence and ethics.
The bishop’s attorneys argue that the new allegations in Fat Joe’s case bolster their demand for sanctions stemming from Blackburn’s earlier filings in Jakes’ defamation lawsuit against Duane Youngblood.
According to U.S. District Judge William Stickman, those documents were filled with “wholly fabricated quotations from caselaw” and “inaccurate statements of law.”
Jakes’ team claims it took over 140 hours to unravel Blackburn’s misleading submissions, which they say were generated by AI tools and left unchecked.
They’re asking the court to make Blackburn or his client pay $76,000 within 30 days.
The filing allegedly included at least ten fabricated legal references. Fat Joe’s lawyers described the document as “fundamentally untrustworthy” and said it followed a “pattern” of misconduct.
“It is time, once and for all, for Blackburn to be sanctioned for his flagrant disregard of his duties,” Fat Joe’s attorneys wrote in their motion.
Blackburn, who represents both plaintiffs in the Jakes and Fat Joe cases, has admitted to using flawed AI-generated content but blamed the errors on new features in LexisNexis and Westlaw. He warned that the $76,000 penalty could “put him out of business,” citing his work with abuse survivors and low-income clients.
In his defense, Blackburn told the court, “I have taken full ownership of those citation errors,” and asked for a less severe punishment, such as additional CLE hours. He also referenced his family’s military background to emphasize his commitment to accountability.
Judge Stickman previously noted that Blackburn “doubled down” on the false filings, even after being confronted, which further heightened the court’s concern.
The court has not yet ruled on the sanctions or Blackburn’s request for leniency.