Nicholas W. Mattiacci Sr. of N.W. Mattiacci Law in Jenkintown has been fined $1,500 and suspended from practice in the U.S. Middle District for six months, PennLive reported.
According to their coverage, Mattiacci violated the federal rules of civil procedure when he used artificial intelligence (AI) in preparing a post-trial motion and brief in a civil suit involving a former Montoursville Area High School baseball coach who lost an eye after he was hit by a batted ball.
The AI usage “resulted in the use of fictitious citations in a post-trial brief and the inclusion of irrelevant cases and quotations that do not appear in cases cited”, PennLive wrote. “There were fewer than 10 correct case citations. The rules of civil procedure require attorneys to read documents before they are filed and ensure the validity of the cases cited.”
Mattiacci issued the following statement in a recent court filing:
The unfortunate occurrences within the past three months pertaining to the issue of AI Hallucination have been deeply troubling and certainly not an experience I endeavor to belabor. I offer no excuses, no attempts to deflect, and the profound humility of an advocate who accepts full, personal responsibility for the breakdown in my post-trial verification of cited case law. The legal profession is undergoing a seismic technological shift, and I implemented this new software into my practice without fully understanding its function and capabilities. My grave error — for which I am deeply sorry to this court and to opposing counsel — was failing to manually cross-reference the suggested case law before filing any and all post-trial motions. I have permanently overhauled my practice protocols to ensure absolute manual verification of all case law moving forward…”
Mattiacci was sanctioned earlier this year by the New Jersey Superior Court for similar conduct in 2025, PennLive said. Defendants BSN Sports Inc. of Texas, and Garware Technical Fibres of India, are seeking sanctions against Mattiacci as well.
Additional background about the case can be found here.
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