Aachen court issues preliminary injunction barring Google from spreading false AI Mode claims about a doctor, citing Munich ruling on AI liability

On 24 September 2026 the Aachen Regional Court granted an emergency preliminary injunction against Google, without hearing Google first. It bans three wordings of false statements produced by Google's AI Mode, which linked an Aachen neuroradiology doctor to a sexual assault allegation and criminal proceedings that actually involved a different professor. Each breach risks a fine of up to 250,000 euros. The court treated the AI output as Google's own statements, following a May 2026 Munich Regional Court I ruling. Google's Munich appeal ended in an undisclosed settlement, so no higher court has ruled.

Two German regional courts have now treated AI search answers as the provider's own content, not as neutral third-party material. That raises the legal risk for Google in Germany when AI Mode or AI Overviews name real people. Other search and chatbot providers with similar features have reason to review how they handle claims about identifiable individuals. The practical effect for now is narrow: one doctor, three specific text variants, and an order Google can still challenge.

The suggestion that this threatens AI search business models, or will let publishers assert claims, is speculation. Two first-instance decisions, one of them ex parte, do not make a settled legal view, and the Munich appeal ended in a settlement, not a precedent. The coverage also rests on one secondary outlet, which does not link to either ruling, so the details and the settlement are unverified.

1. 01Whether Google files an objection or appeal against the Aachen injunction, and whether the court confirms it after hearing Google's side.
2. 02Any published text of the Aachen or Munich rulings, or reporting that confirms the settlement terms and whether Google changed AI Mode behaviour for named individuals.
3. 03Whether other German or EU courts, or claimants, bring similar cases, especially any higher regional court decision on AI-generated search answers.