The Aporia · The 9 Libel-by-AI Cases in the U.S. Since 2023 (6 Still Going Forward)

Since 2023, nine libel-by-AI cases have occurred in the United States, with six still active as of the latest update. Cases include Walters vs. OpenAI, which resulted in no liability due to unique circumstances; Battle vs. Microsoft Corp., resolved through arbitration; and Starbuck v. Meta Platforms, settled out of court. Other ongoing lawsuits involve Google and X.AI, where plaintiffs claim false and reputation-damaging content generated by AI systems.

Written by the local model on 2026-09-14, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

Story summary

In 2023, there have been 9 libel-by-AI cases initiated against tech giants like Google LLC and OpenAI. As of now, 6 of these cases are still ongoing. Notable among them is Starbuck v. Google (Del. Super.) and LTL LED, LLC v. Google LLC (Minn. Dist.), where motions to dismiss were denied, allowing the cases to proceed further. Another significant case is Keene v. Google LLC (N.D. Ill.), involving author Jimmy Keene, who alleges that Google's AI repeatedly published false overviews about him from May 24 to June 27, 2025, stating he was serving life sentences for multiple crimes and drug trafficking, despite his conviction being expunged years ago. This case is significant as it highlights the potential legal repercussions of misinformation spread by AI technologies.

Written for “Libel by AI Cases” on 2026-09-14, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Why this leaning score

This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.

No political leaning scored for article 9200 · logged 2026-09-14

📰 Libel by AI Cases

Politics · 2 article(s) covering the same event.

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

This article reads unscored and hedges 33% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Federal Court Allows Libel-by-AI Claim (Brought by Protagonist of Apple TV's Black Bird Series) to Go Forward same event · 95%

Reason

⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 22% hedged 13 of 58 📰 publisher trust 91

“Both articles discuss the federal court decision in Keene v. Google LLC, where Judge Thomas Durkin allowed the libel-by-AI claim to go forward.”

Reason · 116 article(s) · 1 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 1 correction(s)

2026-09-05

Lawyers' Responsibility for Hallucinations in Briefs That They Sign

Eugene Volokh

46 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

🔮 Keene alleged that, from May 24 to June 27, 2025, at least four Google "AI Overviews" said false things about him: - Keene was "serving a life sentence without parole for multiple convictions." - He was "serving a life sentence without parole for the murders of three women." - He "was convicted of drug trafficking."

2026-09-14 · mixed framing · Federal Court Allows Libel-by-AI Claim (Brought by Protagonist of Apple TV's Black Bird Series) to Go Forward

🔮 affirming a police department's "redact[ing] officers' names from certain training certificates" released in response to a Right-to-Know Law request for a police department's "287(g) agreement" with ICE: Section 708(b)(1)(ii) of the RTKL exempts from disclosure a record that "would be reasonably likely to result in a substantial and demonstrable risk of physical harm to or the personal security of an individual."

2026-09-14 · assertive framing · Police Department May Decline to Release Names of Officers Trained by ICE

🔮 Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent An excerpt from the long opinion today in Lewis-Williams v. S.F. Bay Area Rapid Transit Dist., decided by Judge Ryan Nelson, joined by Judges Johnnie Rawlinson and Bridget Bade: San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District seeks to overturn a jury verdict of $7,824,580 to six former employees for Title VII violations for failure to accommodate their sincere religious objections to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

2026-09-12 · assertive framing · Court Upholds $7.85M Verdict for Employees Fired for Refusing to Get COVID-19 Vaccine

🔮 Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent I much enjoyed participating in this, and I expect many of our readers will much enjoy listening to it.

2026-09-11 · assertive framing · Geof Stone and I on "The State of Free Speech in 2026" (from the National Constitution Center)

🔮 [Nor do they] offer … facts that would suggest inevitable or likely exposure to the curriculum (or its harmful effects)….

2026-09-08 · mixed framing · "Jewish, Zionist" Teachers' and Parents' Lawsuit Over Allegedly Anti-Capitalist and Anti-Zionist School Curriculum Can Be Refiled, Ninth Circuit Rules

🔮 The court concluded that "The Big Board's refusal to comply with the orders was not expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment," so not renewing his license based solely on such refusal would have been constitutional:

2026-09-08 · assertive framing · Was D.C. Bar's Liquor License Denied Partly Based on Owner's Speech Criticizing Anti-Masking/Vax-Proof Requirement Speech?

🔮 Lambert … falsely stated that the Plaintiffs had conflicts of interest with her clients and/or her firm, that she would sue the Plaintiffs if they were to be engaged in these relationships, and implicitly that she would take legal action against the relationships themselves if they were to hire Plaintiffs.

2026-09-08 · mixed framing · Forensic Election Fraud Analysts Allege Defendants Defamed Them as "Retaliation for Plaintiffs' Refusal to Report False Findings of Election Fraud"

🔮 The court concluded that, even "assuming arguendo that there's a fair chance that the press defendants have violated the federal and state trade secrets provisions," the First Amendment would preclude the TRO:

2026-09-06 · assertive framing · Judge's Opinion Denying TRO Against Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as to Publishing of Data Center Plans

🔮 Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent From the docket this morning; for more on the case, see here and here (the latter item notes the sealing, and expresses the now-realized hope that "the motion will be unsealed at some point soon"): Via email, Plaintiff has informed the Court that it will not be pursuing preliminary injunctive relief….

2026-09-06 · assertive framing · Brief Update on the Entergy / Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Matter

🔮 Perhaps most analogously to alienation of affections, if Alan breaches his contract with Betty, and Cathy encouraged him to breach it, she will in many situations be liable for intentional interference with contract.

2026-09-06 · assertive framing · Alienation of Affections as Complicity

The 9 Libel-by-AI Cases in the U.S. Since 2023 (6 Still Going Forward)

Summary

Signals How these are calculated →

AI analysis (generated at analysis time, not now)

Story

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Compared with similar articles

Publisher

Who wrote this

Topics

Subjects

Narrative

Claims (3 extracted, 1 hedged)