LA eviction lawyer charged over filing that contained fake case law, sparking AI debate

Dennis Block, a prominent Los Angeles lawyer who once boasted about filing thousands of evictions every year, is facing new disciplinary charges from the California State Bar.

Some of the allegations stem from a case LAist covered in 2023, in which Block submitted a filing in eviction court that cited non-existent case law.

Block didn’t appear in court to explain how the brief was created. But legal experts told LAist at the time that the document appeared to have been generated by artificial intelligence, which is known to produce faulty information.

The charges filed last Thursday build on previous charges filed against Block late last year. The new charges allege that by submitting the filing, Block “failed to perform with diligence” and “committed acts involving moral turpitude, dishonesty, and corruption.”

If the charges against Block are proven, the State Bar proceedings could lead to him facing suspension or — in the most serious outcome — disbarment.

Block referred LAist to his attorney for comment on the charges, but they didn’t respond for this story.

The backstory on a ‘fabricated’ court filing

Over the course of nearly 50 years as an attorney, Block established his eponymous firm as a go-to resource for L.A. landlords seeking to evict their tenants. But recent actions by the State Bar have called into question his treatment of clients.

In December, the bar filed a series of disciplinary charges against Block, alleging he wrongly collected “non-refundable” fees, failed to account for client charges and didn’t return property in a timely manner after a client fired him.

Last week, the State Bar filed a new round of charges. Some are similar to the previous allegations. But two of the new counts relate to the 2023 filing, which led to $999 in court sanctions against Block’s firm.

A judge at the time said the filing contained “an entire body of law that was fabricated.”

Lydia Nicholson, the attorney who was defending the tenant involved in the underlying eviction case, said the charges against Block are appropriate.

“Tenants are already so vulnerable in these court cases,” said Nicholson, who works with the Los Angeles Center for Community Law and Action. “And to have that added step of basically just trying to lie to win is even worse.”

The dangers of using AI in court

Ari Waldman, a UC Irvine School of Law professor, said AI tools can be helpful for gathering background information about particular areas of law. But he said lawyers who use the technology to draft and file briefs without critically assessing the results should be disbarred.

Reacting to the new charges against Block, Waldman said, “No responsible lawyer should ever use AI to replace critical thinking, analysis and basic research.”

Daniel Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, a landlord advocacy group, defended Block. In an email to LAist, he said the disciplinary charges are still only allegations — not proven facts.

“Mr. Block has shown himself to be very knowledgeable of rental housing regulations and he is a wonderful educator and presenter on the complicated regulations our members are forced to comply with,” Yukelson said.

During the 2023 sanctions hearing, an attorney from Block’s firm blamed a recently hired lawyer for producing the fabricated filing. He said she no longer worked at the firm.

But by signing the filing himself, Block vouched for its accuracy to the court, according to the State Bar.

Since the 2023 case, Block has dabbled in other uses of AI. During his regular YouTube briefings for landlords, he has often included imagery that appeared to have been created with AI tools.

He opened one 2025 video with a dance pop song titled, “The Tenant From Hell.” He described it as an “original song by Dennis Block, with a lot of help from artificial intelligence.”