Class Action
MillerKing v. DoNotPay ('Robot Lawyer')
MillerKing, LLC v. DoNotPay, Inc.
Where it stands
Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel dismissed all counts on November 17, 2023 for lack of Article III standing. The court found the plaintiff law firm alleged no lost revenue, withheld clients, or reputational harm, called its client-diversion and goodwill allegations 'conclusory,' and rejected the argument that direct-competitor status permits presuming commercial injury: 'Article III standing requires a concrete injury even in the context of a statutory violation.'
Key ruling
November 17, 2023 (Rosenstengel, C.J.): complaint dismissed for lack of Article III standing.
Note on this record
This private suit preceded and paralleled the FTC's separate Operation AI Comply administrative action against DoNotPay (settled September 2024 for $193,000); the two are distinct proceedings. The March 3, 2023 filing date is inferred from the case number and contemporaneous reporting and was not confirmed from the docket.The record
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
- Case number
- 3:23-cv-00863-NJR
- Filed
- 2023-03-03
- Defendants
- DoNotPay, Inc.
- Plaintiffs
- Proposed class of 'all law firms in the United States' during the class period, with a subclass of Illinois-registered law firms
- Technology at issue
- DoNotPay 'world's first robot lawyer' AI legal-services app
- Relief sought
- Damages and injunctive relief under Lanham Act §§ 43(a)(1)(A) and (B), the Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and Illinois unauthorized-practice-of-law statutes
Claims pleaded
Sources (3)
- MillerKing LLC v. DoNotPay Inc., No. 3:23-cv-863-NJR (S.D. Ill. Nov. 17, 2023)FindLaw (S.D. Ill. opinion) · 2023-11-17
- Order on Motion to Dismiss, MillerKing, LLC v. DoNotPay, Inc.Filed docket document (via LawSites) · 2023-11-17
- In Case of 'Real Lawyers Against A Robot Lawyer,' Federal Court Dismisses Law Firm's Suit Against DoNotPay for Unauthorized Law PracticeLawSites (LawNext) · 2023-11-20
This page describes a publicly filed case. This site is not counsel on this matter, nothing here is legal advice, and the allegations described are allegations unless a court has said otherwise.