United States Massachusetts Court Bars Lawyer From Harvard Morgue Case Over Fake AI-Generated Citations in Earlier Filings

A Massachusetts court has denied permission to T. Michael Morgan, a lawyer with Morgan & Morgan, to appear pro hac vice in litigation arising out of the alleged mishandling of donated cadavers at Harvard Medical School, citing his prior involvement in court filings containing fictitious artificial intelligence-generated case citations.

According to reports, Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Salinger ruled that Morgan should not be permitted to represent plaintiffs in the ongoing proceedings against Harvard University. The litigation concerns allegations that body parts were unlawfully removed from cadavers donated to the institution for medical research and educational purposes.

In his order, Judge Salinger referred to a February 2025 sanction imposed by the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming against Morgan in separate litigation. In that matter, court filings reportedly cited eight non-existent judicial decisions generated through an AI platform used by the law firm. Although the filings had been drafted by an associate, the court held Morgan accountable because he had signed and submitted the documents without adequately verifying their contents.

The judge observed that Morgan failed to demonstrate sufficient corrective measures or ethical safeguards following the earlier incident. The court further noted that while Morgan disclosed the prior sanction, he did not adequately explain the procedures now adopted to prevent the use of fabricated legal authorities in future filings.

The underlying lawsuits against Harvard form part of multiple actions filed by families alleging improper handling of donated human remains.