Jackson Jambalaya

$45,000. That is the wages of fraud for attorney Vanessa Price after a Desoto County Circuit judge busted her for using artificial intelligence to submit no less than 14 phony cases in a response filed with the Court as well as submitting phony invoices for damages.  

Brian Lofton and his company, Keaton Pressure Washing & Landscaping,. sued Briggs Equipment, Bolin Plantation, Bolin Grove Farms, Walter Roop, and Sunbelt Rentals in Desoto County Circuit Court in February 2025.  

The complaint claims Roop and Bolin Farms/Plantation hired the plaintiffs to clean up a property after a tornado damaged the area in 2020.  Lofton rented an excavator from Sunbelt.  The excavator broke down after a few days.  Sunbelt sent a replacement excavator as well as mechanics to fix the non-working excavator.  However, they could not repair it.  Roop called Lofton to inform him the broken down excavator was leaking a large amount of hydraulic fluid.  The fluid apparently ran off into Roop's lake, creating a "sheen" on the surface.  Lofton initiated a cleanup. Floating booms were placed on the lake for containment and Lofton hired Elite Consultants for the clean-up work.

Lofton alleged Briggs and Sunbelt made no attempt to help with the clean-up effort.   They did not pay Lofton anything for the clean-up work done as a result of the failure of the excavator.  The plaintiff charged the defendants with breach of contract and asked for $377,000 in damages as well as $250,000 in punitive damages. 

Attorney Price represents Lofton.  

The shenanigans began in the discovery phase. Lofton submitted invoices that claimed higher payments for the clean-up than were actually paid.  One invoice was completely bogus as it was claimed as paid even though no payment was made nor was it signed.  

The Court said Price was "aware" such fraud took place and thus helped perpetuate the fraud upon the Court. Lofton also tried to claim as damages his use of a sub-contractor to perform work for another client while he engaged in the clean-up. The Court said Lofton either lied in his deposition or submitted phony documents.   Judge Wilson Lofton and Price submitted phony invoices as well. 

The judge dismissed the case against Briggs as it held any lesser sanction would not deter similar conduct. Judge Price noted the defendants endured major expenses in uncovering the discovery fraud. Having dispensed with Lofton, the Court moved on to Attorney Price: 

While the Court finds that Lofton was complicit in such fraud, because Attorney Price, as an officer of the Court, not only condoned such misconduct but actively engaged in it, the Court assesses the full amount of such attorney's fees and costs against Attorney Price alone.

I'f IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED, that Attorney Price pay Briggs the amount of $37,584.91 in reasonable attorneys' fees and costs in full within 30 days of the entry of this Order. Attorney Price is to coordinate such payment with Briggs' counsel of record, Attorney Alison McMinn, or her designee.

The Court was not done with punishing Attorney Price as it moved on to "Hallucinated Cases."  

Price crafted her response to a motion for summary judgement with AI.  The result was a submission littered with fourteen phony cases.  The Court was not pleased as it devoted a section of the order to "Hallucinated Cases" :  

On September 9, 2025, Attorney Price filed her response to the Court's September 2, 2025 Order. Plaintiffs Response to Order of the Court, MEC #185. While Attorney Price acknowledged her reliance on both non-existent case law and case law that did not support the legal principle or quotation for which it was cited as to all fourteen (14) such citations, she accepted no responsibility for her misrepresentations to either opposing counsel or the Court, instead laying the blame on her limited legal resources, stating, in part, as follows:  

As a solo practitioner, counsel for Plaintiff did not have the benefit of the extensive staffing, resources, and research tools available to the big firms representing Defendants, and which collectively employ over a hundred attorneys.

Attorney Price whined she was not able to subscribe to large databases used by major firms as she tried to escape responsibility for her fraud: 

the extensive research required and performed by counsel was done using the resources available which included ""Fastcase"" provided by the Mississippi Bar Association, and regular internet research to locate valid case law on the issues. However, with artificial intelligence being new and [Plaintiffs'] counsel being unaware that genuine internet research could result in artificial .intelligence providing false information, Counsel learned the hard way that she relied on information that she now knows was not real. 

Judge Wilson said tough luck as she pointed out many lawyers face the same limitations but don't cheat as she did.  If Price needed more time for research, she could have asked the Court for more time.  The Court also did not think much of Price's attempt to blame the Mississippi Bar for her improper use of AI since the Bar approved the use of FastCase. 

Price claimed her mistakes were "inadvertent."  However, Judge Wilson observed she did not file a corrected response as other lawyers have done when they made similar mistakes.*  Even though Briggs notified the Court of the hallucinated cases on July 1, the wayward attorney took no action until the Court told her to do so two months later.  

Judge Wilson hammered Attorney Price as she decreed: 

The Court awards Briggs Equipment, Inc., $7,472.00 in reasonable attorneys' fees and costs incurred by its counsel in researching, replying to, and arguing against Plaintiffs' Response in Opposition to Motion to Dismiss and Motion for Reasonable Expenses and Attorneys' Fees Filed by Briggs Equipment, Inc. and Plaintiffs' Response in Opposition to Motion for Summary Judgment and for Sanctions Filed by Briggs Equipment, Inc. such amount to be paid in full by Attorney Price within thirty (30) days of the entry of this Order. Attorney Price is to coordinate such payment with Briggs' counsel of record, Attorney Alison McMinn, or her designee.

Within sixty (60) days from the date of this Order, Attorney Price shall attend and complete six (6) hours of approved CLE courses on Artificial Intelligence. On or before November 25, 2025, Attorney Price shall file in MEC proof of attendance and a certificate of compliance showing strict adherence with this Order;

Attorney Price filed several motions for reconsideration, motions that were vigorously opposed by the defendants.  

Stay tuned. 

* Indeed. In a recent post published on this site, Attorney Jane Watson submitted corrected filings when she discovered her use of AI placed phony cases in the original filings.  

 Note: Posted below are order and complaint.