Defense Attorney in TD Jakes Lawsuit Sanctioned for Using AI

Attorney ordered to pay over $76K in fees for AI-generated misrepresentations.

The attorney defending Duane Youngblood in the defamation lawsuit filed by T.D. Jakes has been sanctioned by a federal court because he presented documents containing material fabricated by artificial intelligence.

Bishop T.D. Jakes, left, Tyrone Blackburn, middle, and Duane Youngblood, right. (Jakes photo courtesy of The Potter’s House of Dallas Inc. Blackburn photo via tyroneblackburn.com. Youngblood image via video screen grab. )

According to reporting by ChurchLeaders, U.S. District Court Judge William Stickman ordered New York attorney Tyrone Blackburn to pay over $76,000 in fees expended by Jakes in order to respond to the “AI-generated hallucinations and other misrepresentations in Defendant’s motion to dismiss briefing.”

Jakes filed his lawsuit against Youngblood in November 2024 after Youngblood accused Jakes of attempted sexual assault.

Jakes denies Youngblood’s accusations that he tried to groom and sexually abuse Youngblood and notes that Youngblood is on parole after felony convictions for sexual assault and corruption of minors.

According to a statement provided to Dallas Morning News, Blackburn purchased an AI feature that generates legal prompts and motions because he employs no paralegals and about 60% of his current clients are pro bono.

Blackburn said that before he was able to fix the AI-generated errors, which included false quotes, Youngblood requested that he leave the case.

Stickman told Blackburn that he is solely responsible for the accuracy of his legal briefs, regardless if he uses the help of AI or anyone else, since it contains his signature.

A declaration filed by Jakes’ attorney Dustin Putsch notes that he spent “an extraordinary amount of time—and therefore Plaintiff an extraordinary amount of money—opposing the Motion’s frivolous contentions, and he acted vexatiously throughout, including after being confronted with his misrepresentations.”

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Blackburn filed a withdrawal of his representation of Youngblood in June, but Stickman said his attempt to withdraw did not insulate him from the repercussions of his actions.

The attorney’s withdrawal “will remain under advisement until the resolution of the show cause hearing,” Stickman wrote.

In November, Jakes, who founded The Potter’s House megachurch in Dallas, suffered a massive heart attack while he was preaching. In April, he stepped aside from his role as the lead pastor and handed the reins to his daughter and son-in-law, Sarah Jakes Roberts and Touré Roberts.

“I cannot afford, especially after November, to risk something happening to me and that you be sheep without a shepherd,” Jakes told The Potter’s House congregation.

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