The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit sanctioned attorneys Van Irion and Russ Egli after finding more than two dozen fabricated case citations and factual misrepresentations across three consolidated appeals in Whiting v. City of Athens, Tennessee. Rather than substantively responding to the court’s show-cause order, the attorneys challenged its validity, which the panel cited in imposing enhanced penalties. The court ordered the attorneys to reimburse the City’s reasonable attorney fees on appeal, pay double appellate costs, and each pay a $15,000 punitive sanction to the court registry, noting that lawyers must verify citations regardless of whether generative AI produced them.