A chat conversation displayed on a courtroom evidence screen, illustrating that AI chats can become evidence — What you type into a consumer chatbot about your dispute can end up in the other side's exhibit binder.

A Federal Judge Just Ruled Your Chatbot Conversations Aren't Privileged. Here's What That Means.

Attorney Jacob Madison Small

July 10, 2026 @ 1:40 pm 6 min read

ai privilege attorney-client privilege work product discovery legal ai chatbots cloud counsel wigmore

In United States v. Heppner, a federal judge held that a defendant's conversations with a consumer AI chatbot were protected by neither attorney-client privilege nor the work-product doctrine. A Texas court reached a friendlier result months later — and the split is exactly the problem. What you type into a chatbot about your legal dispute may be read by the other side.

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