FTC fined DoNotPay after its 'robot lawyer' gave consumers untested legal documents and advice

DoNotPay, Inc.·DoNotPay AI 'robot lawyer' chatbot and document-generation tool

DoNotPay marketed its AI chatbot as able to generate legally valid documents and give advice that could substitute for a human lawyer, including suing for assault without a lawyer, but per the FTC complaint the company never tested whether the AI's output matched the quality of an actual attorney or had lawyers review its legal features.

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Consumers who subscribed between 2021 and 2023 relied on unverified AI-generated legal documents and advice for real legal matters; the FTC's final order required $193,000 in monetary relief to consumers and mandatory notice to affected subscribers.

Root cause

The company sold and advertised an AI agent as attorney-equivalent for consumer legal problems without substantiating the claim or having qualified attorneys test the agent's accuracy.

How it was caught

FTC investigation and enforcement action as part of its 'Operation AI Comply' sweep against deceptive AI marketing claims.

What changed

Final FTC order, approved 5-0 on January 16, 2025, bars DoNotPay from claiming its service performs like a human lawyer without competent evidence, and requires consumer redress and notice to past subscribers.

Take-awayDon't let a customer-facing agent make professional-service claims (legal, medical, financial) that haven't been validated against real expert performance — regulators will treat those claims as testable and will hold the deploying company liable.