Providence Place mall tenant tries to stop sale using likely AI-filled motion

Providence Place’s sale has been thrown into fresh legal scrutiny after a tenant sought to block the transaction with court filings that a judge called “hallucinated.” District Judge Brian Stern ordered a “show cause” hearing for Nicholas Fiorillo and another tenant, Hitesh Harjani, after approving the mall’s $133 million purchase bid by Joseph Paolino Jr. through Paolino Properties, alongside Pyramid Management Group and DW Partner. Stern said it was “very clear” the obligation is to verify what parties submit, while noting uncertainty about whether generative AI caused the non-existent cases. The hearing occurred via WebEx without posted notice in courtroom records. Separate federal records cited in court filings describe Fiorillo as a frequent pro se litigant subject to restrictions, and he is listed across multiple cases in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.