Journalist Julia Angwin files class action lawsuit over Grammarly’s AI 'sloppelgangers'

Grammarly will face a class action lawsuit over its “Expert Review” feature that dispensed writing advice using the names of prominent journalists, academics, and authors, Wired reported on Wednesday.

Technology journalist Julia Angwin is the only named plaintiff on the original filing. Angwin’s lawyer, Peter Romer-Friedman, said on Thursday morning that he’s since heard from “40 to 50 people” who object to being featured in the AI-powered editing tool without their consent.

From the lawsuit:

Angwin is currently a New York Times contributing opinion writer, director of a project studying audience and independent media at the Harvard Kennedy School, and founder of Proof News. (The investigative news site, which launched in 2024, has not been updated since early 2025 but Angwin says it will relaunch “with new leadership” later this year. Angwin will remain executive director.) She’s also the author of a forthcoming book about fighting authoritarianism, On Courage: How to be a Dissident in an Age of Fear.

“I do see this challenge as part of the fight!” she said in an email.

You can read the class action complaint on DocumentCloud here.