The Houston Housing Authority is under scrutiny after a housing voucher-related legal brief filed in court included multiple fabricated case citations, with quotes that appeared to have been generated by artificial intelligence.
Filed by Fulton Law Group on behalf of the authority, the brief cited more than a dozen court decisions in defense of the agency’s move to end a tenant’s housing voucher. But 11 of the 13 quotes attributed to legal decisions didn’t actually exist, the Houston Chronicle reported. Some had no clear connection to the rulings cited, and others appeared to directly contradict them.
Kevin Fulton, managing attorney for the firm, said a rushed filing deadline prevented the usual multi-attorney review and that “case arguments were quoted directly instead of paraphrased.”
Fulton did not respond when asked whether generative AI was used in drafting the filing. The Houston Housing Authority also said it couldn’t verify whether AI was used but acknowledged the citations were not properly vetted.
Legal experts said the use of fake quotes is potentially serious, especially when made in official court filings.
“It’s very, very bad,” University of Houston law professor Nikolas Guggenberger said. “It’s one of those things that should never happen.”
The legal brief in question was submitted as part of a case brought by Arletha Joseph, a tenant who claimed the Housing Authority improperly terminated her voucher without notice, a failure that had left her facing eviction. The authority has since stated it is working with Joseph’s lawyer to reinstate her voucher, though court records do not yet reflect a settlement.
The controversy adds to mounting criticism of the Houston Housing Authority’s administration of federal housing subsidies. A recent third-party audit showed widespread failures in collecting required documentation from tenants, while a separate internal investigation uncovered cases in which employees terminated vouchers without notifying recipients.
The authority has struggled recently with alleged mismanagement and leadership turnover; Mayor John Whitmire shook up its board of directors, which appointed CEO Jamie Bryant in February.
— Judah Duke
Read more
Houston housing chief freezes affordable housing loophole
Bad bookkeeping alleged at Houston Housing Authority
Hines offloads luxury Houston high-rise to Mexican investor
