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04 July 2025
Issue: 8123 / Categories: Legal News , Dispute resolution , Artificial intelligence , Technology
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NLJ this week: Faking it? AI and the rise of forged evidence in litigation

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There is a growing threat of forged evidence in civil litigation—now supercharged by generative AI—which Ian Gascoigne of LexisNexis explores in this week’s NLJ

From the Bitcoin creator case to WhatsApp screenshots and AI-generated documents, Gascoigne shows how courts are grappling with increasingly sophisticated fakery. He revisits key cases, including Arrow Nominees v Blackledge and Takhar v Gracefield, to illustrate how courts assess and respond to fabricated evidence.

Gascoigne warns that AI tools can create convincing fakes with no obvious signs, making the ‘sniff test’ and metadata analysis more vital than ever. He urges litigators to challenge suspect documents under CPR 32.19 and to demand draft versions where appropriate.

With US courts already drafting rules on machine-generated evidence, Gascoigne calls for urgent action from UK regulators to ensure authenticity and uphold the duty not to mislead the court.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Recent allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have reignited scrutiny of the ancient common law offence of misconduct in public office. Writing in NLJ this week, Simon Parsons, teaching fellow at Bath Spa University, asks whether their conduct could clear a notoriously high legal hurdle
A landmark ruling has reshaped child clinical negligence claims. Writing in NLJ this week, Jodi Newton, head of birth and paediatric negligence at Osbornes Law, explains how the Supreme Court in CCC v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2026] UKSC 5 has overturned Croke v Wiseman, ending the long-standing bar on children recovering ‘lost years’ earnings
A Court of Appeal ruling has drawn a firm line under party autonomy in arbitration. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed, associate professor at the University of Leicester, analyses Gluck v Endzweig [2026] EWCA Civ 145, where a clause allowing arbitrators to amend an award ‘at any time’ was held incompatible with the Arbitration Act 1996
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