German Court Refused Payment for an Expert Report Generated by AI

#GermanJudicialPractice

A German court reviewed a telling case:

A client was invoiced €2,374.50 for a medical expert report. However, during the proceedings it became clear that the expert had not conducted a proper examination, had not personally assessed the patient, and was unable to clearly explain the methodology behind the conclusion.

The content of the report raised serious concerns. The text consisted largely of standard phrases, repetitive structures, and lacked independent professional analysis. The court suspected that the document had been generated using artificial intelligence.

Outcome: The court reduced the payment to €0.

The Court’s Position:

A client is entitled to expect a personal professional assessment from an expert. If the result is effectively produced by AI without sufficient independent intellectual work, the claim for remuneration cannot be upheld.

The court emphasized: what is paid for is human labor. Intellectual contribution must be individual, substantive, and verifiable. Formal text formatting without methodology or reasoned justification does not constitute a proper professional service.

This case is significant not only for experts, but also for lawyers, consultants, and all providers of intellectual services.

Using AI is a legitimate tool.

Replacing professional work with automated generation, however, may result in the complete loss of the right to payment.

If you deal with expert reports or challenge invoices for inadequate services, this precedent is worth noting.