By The battle for control over Oregon’s Valley View Winery wasn’t just a bitter family dispute—it has now become a landmark case in the growing epidemic of artificial intelligence misuse in the legal system.
A federal judge permanently dismissed a multimillion-dollar inheritance lawsuit brought by a sister against her brothers, levying what is believed to be the largest penalty to date for submitting AI-generated “hallucinations” (fake legal citations) in court.
The Root of the Family Feud
The 80-acre Valley View Winery was founded in 1972 by Frank and Ann Wisnovsky. After Frank’s sudden death in 1980, Ann kept the business running, eventually partnering with her two youngest sons, Mark and Michael, who managed the day-to-day operations.
- The Succession Plan: In 2016, Ann signed documents agreeing to leave the entire business and vineyard land to Mark and Michael upon her passing.
- The Lawsuit: In 2021, older sister Joanne Couvrette (urged on by older brother Robert) sued her younger brothers for $12.6 million, accusing them of manipulating their mother’s estate agreements.
The Deluge of “AI Slop”
Couvrette hired California attorney Steve Brigandi, who took the case for free due to a family connection. What followed was a relentless barrage of bogus, AI-generated legal citations that Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke described as a “notorious outlier in both degree and volume.”
Despite explicit warnings from opposing counsel that the citations were fake, the AI hallucinations multiplied: two appeared in January 2025, seven in April, and 16 more in May. One bizarre citation even referenced an aggravated murder case that had absolutely nothing to do with winery contracts.
Who Really Wrote the Briefs?
While Brigandi later blamed severe kidney disease for impairing his cognitive function, the court found “persuasive” evidence that Couvrette herself was writing the briefs. The AI software appeared to pull from her personal search history, injecting irrelevant free-speech cases tied to her own recent wrongful termination dispute over Facebook comments.
Record-Breaking Repercussions
Because Couvrette and her legal team were not “forthcoming, candid, or apologetic,” the judge handed down severe consequences. This case highlights a massive spike in AI legal blunders; an online database tracking these incidents now catalogs over 1,300 cases, nearly triple the number from just five months ago.
Case Outcomes & Financial Impact
| Party Involved | Role in Case | Consequence / Penalty |
| Joanne Couvrette | Plaintiff (Sister) | Lawsuit permanently dismissed. |
| Steve Brigandi | Primary Lawyer | Fined nearly $100,000 (believed to be a record for AI misuse). |
| Timothy Murphy | Local Counsel (Oregon) | Fined over $14,000 for failing to meaningfully participate. |
| Mark & Michael Wisnovsky | Defendants (Brothers) | Retained the winery, but incurred nearly $1 million in legal bills. |
For now, Mark and Michael retain control of the winery, which produces about 12,000 cases of wine annually. However, with appeals likely on the horizon, this family battle may not be fully settled yet.