A Washoe County judge ordered attorneys in a lawsuit over missing taxpayer funds to appear before him and explain the suspected use of artificial intelligence that cited imaginary cases and made-up quotes in their filings.

The lawsuit involves a contractor suing Reno-based internet provider Uprise over not getting paid for work on a fiber-optic internet project.

Uprise CEO Stephen Kromer has been charged with theft in the disappearance of $7 million the Nevada Department of Transportation provided toward the project in rural Nevada.

“Uprise’s references appear legitimate at first glance,” District Judge David Hardy wrote.

But after closer study, he wrote, "at least fourteen of the decisions Uprise cites appear to be fictitious."

Other references are real, Hardy wrote, but they in

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