State of Hawaiʻi v. Cody Presti

What the court wrote

Verbatim from the court's document (public domain). Ellipses mark omitted text; nothing is paraphrased.

Of the eleven cases this court was unable to locate, six cases include citations that indicate a volume and reporter that correspond with a different case entirely: • On page 8 of the Opening Brief, Presti relies on “State V. Alves, 45. Haw.296,” but that citation leads to an unrelated case, State v. Pokini, 45 Haw. 295, 367 P.2d 499 (1961). • On page 17 of the Opening Brief, Presti relies on “State v. Bonds, 592 N.W.2d 262 (Minn. 1999),” but that citation leads to an unrelated case in another jurisdiction, Jackson v. DeWitt, 592 N.W.2d 262 (Wis. Ct. App. 1999). • On pages 28-29 of the Opening Brief, Presti relies on “State v. Pune, 94 Hawaiʻi 200 (2000),” but that citation leads to a table of fourteen unreported opinions that does not include State v. Pune. A Westlaw search of “State v. Pune” returns zero results in any jurisdiction. ... In these instances, the relied upon authority simply does not exist. We pause to note that Presti’s Opening Brief is just the next example of the alarming rise of citations to fake cases by attorneys and self-represented litigants in this jurisdiction and nationally.

Authorities cited in the passage: State v. Alves · State v. Pokini, 45 Haw. 295, 367 P.2d 499 (1961) · State v. Bonds · Jackson v. DeWitt, 592 N.W.2d 262 (Wis. Ct. App. 1999) · State v. Pune · State v. Branch, 636 P.2d 421 (Or. Ct. App. 1981)