Federal Judge Orders Attorneys to Court Over Potential Sanctions

A federal judge has summoned several attorneys, including William Lansford from Butler Snow LLP, to appear in court to discuss why they shouldn’t face sanctions for submitting legal claims that might have included fabricated citations.

U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco issued this order following a case brought by Frankie Johnson, a former inmate suing Jeff Dunn of the Alabama Department of Corrections.

In her filing last week, Johnson’s attorney, Jamila Mensa, suggested that the legal claims were entirely fabricated, possibly involving the use of generative artificial intelligence to create them.

The attorneys cited in the judge’s order claimed the source of their motion was “nonexistent.”

Due to the seriousness of the allegations, the court performed an independent search for each purported quote. As a result, the four lawyers who signed the leave claims for Defendant Dunn, along with Butler Snow LLP, have been instructed to justify their actions to avoid being accused of presenting false information to the court.

Judge Manasco firmly rejected the motion advocating for Lansford’s compliance.

“A hearing before Judge Treadwell is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, 2025,” she stated, noting that the prior hearing on May 21 would last less than an hour. This timing allows Mr. Lansford ample opportunity to travel to Georgia ahead of the next day’s proceedings, and any excuses regarding Mr. Lansford and Mr. Chism will not be accepted.

The judge has temporarily suspended Johnson’s case until further notice.