The powerhouse pastor and media mogul T.D. Jakes is demanding nearly $76,000 in legal fees after what he calls a total train wreck of a filing by attorney Tyrone Blackburn, and he says artificial intelligence is to blame.
It all started with a defamation lawsuit Jakes filed against former pastor Duane Youngblood, who accused Jakes of decades-old sexual abuse. Jakes has denied the claims, calling the whole thing a shake-down attempt and saying Youngblood even tried to extort him for $6 million.
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However, instead of bringing clarity to the courtroom, things took a sharp turn when Youngblood's lawyer, Blackburn, submitted court documents that resembled AI-generated fan fiction more than legal arguments. We're talking bogus case law, phantom citations, and flat-out factual errors all courtesy of an AI tool that skipped Evidence 101.
In a fresh filing, Jakes' legal team says they logged over 140 hours just trying to untangle Blackburn's botched submissions. From digging through "hallucinated" case references to correcting nonsensical legal claims, the time drain was real and costly. They're asking for $75,932.50 to recoup their efforts, and they want the money in hand within 30 days if the judge gives the green light.
Their breakdown? It's all there. Time billed for reviewing the erroneous filings, tracking down fake citations, and crafting responses that never should've been necessary in the first place. They even say their hourly rates were discounted a bit of grace in the face of chaos.
What's striking is that this isn't just a clerical error, but a full-on courtroom cautionary tale about relying too heavily on artificial intelligence. Jakes' attorneys say the filings were "a waste of time and money," and that Blackburn's use of AI did more harm than help.
The court's already held a hearing on whether Blackburn should be sanctioned for the debacle. But with Jakes' new filing, the spotlight has shifted to the price tag attached to this digital disaster.
This legal back-and-forth is far from over. In the courtroom, AI shortcuts can come with a very real cost. And if T.D. Jakes has his way, someone's about to learn that lesson to the tune of $76,000.
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