Heppner, Judge Rakoff of the Southern District of New York — addressing “a question of first impression nationwide” — ruled that written exchanges between a criminal defendant and generative AI platform Claude were not protected by attorney-client privilege or the work product doctrine.
Heppner, No. 25 Cr. 503 (S.D.N.Y.), memorializing and elaborating on his February 10 bench ruling—a ruling that generated significant interest and debate about whether generative AI (Gen AI) use is compatible with the attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine.
AI, Privilege, and the Heppner Ruling: What the Court Actually Held—And ...
Bradley Heppner, the founder and former CEO of Beneficient, a financial services company, faces a five-count federal indictment for securities fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy, making false statements to auditors, and falsification of records—charges arising from an alleged scheme to defraud investors in the publicly traded company GWG Holdings thr...
The U.S. District Court in New York ruled in United States v. Heppner that communications between a defendant and a generative AI platform, Claude, are not protected by attorney-client privilege ...
Brad Heppner, who served as CEO of Dallas-based Beneficient, was scheduled to go on trial Tuesday in New York City on federal charges of financial fraud. He was accused of looting $150 million from a business that invested heavily in Beneficient. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)TOPEKA — The fraud trial of the former CEO of a company with a unique Kansas bank charter
What Happened in Heppner? In Heppner, a criminal defendant input materials received from his counsel regarding case strategy into the AI platform Claude. Heppner input this information without his counsel’s direction or request.