State Farm Lawyers Apologize for 3 Fake Case Citations in L.A. Fire Insurance Dispute
Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · Aug 19
State Farm Lawyers Apologize for 3 Fake Case Citations in L.A. Fire Insurance Dispute
3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Aug 19
Summary
Aug. 11 court filings show State Farm’s outside lawyers admitted submitting at least three nonexistent case citations in a Los Angeles County dispute over payouts for a Carson house fire.
Musick, Peeler & Garrett attorney Jacquelene Robinson said she used legal AI tool Irys and failed to verify the citations, calling the mistake a “serious lapse in professional judgment.”
Plaintiff lawyer Michael Shaolian, who sued State Farm in 2024 over alleged bad-faith handling of Fa’alagilagi Meni-Silga’s claim, flagged the fabricated precedents after they appeared in motions this month.
State Farm said it expects outside counsel to meet ethical standards and is adding safeguards, but the episode lands as the insurer already faces California complaints over delayed and underpaid fire claims.
Those broader complaints prompted the California Department of Insurance in spring 2026 to consider a temporary ban on State Farm writing new policies in the state.