A lawyer attended a virtual court proceeding in Texas, but not as a human.
Rod Ponton, a county attorney in Texas, appeared as a cat during the hearing after he could not figure out how to turn off a filter on Zoom.
“Can you hear me judge?” Ponton asked.
Judge Roy Ferguson told Ponton, “Mr. Ponton, I believe you have a filter turned on in the video settings.”
Ponton grew frustrated and asked Ferguson again if he could hear him. Ferguson reiterated he could hear Ponton and pointed out it was a filter.
“I don’t know how to remove it. I’ve got my assistant here, she’s trying to, but I’m prepared to go forward with it. I’m here, live, I’m not a cat,” Ponton said.
Watch the video below:
"I'm here, live, I'm not a cat"
— CNN (@CNN) February 10, 2021
A livestream of a virtual court proceeding in Texas took an "appawling" turn when a lawyer appeared as a cat on screen. https://t.co/b9ql9p8bG0 pic.twitter.com/koWbeyB1Rz
Ferguson replied, “I can see that.” He later said a child used the computer and set the filter.
The filter was finally removed and the hearing proceeded.
The judge later tweeted about the incident, “IMPORTANT ZOOM TIP: If a child used your computer, before you join a virtual hearing check the Zoom Video Options to be sure filters are off. This kitten just made a formal announcement on a case in the 394th (sound on).
Ferguson continued, “These fun moments are a by-product of the legal profession’s dedication to ensuring that the justice system continues to function in these tough times. Everyone involved handled it with dignity, and the filtered lawyer showed incredible grace. True professionalism all around!”
These fun moments are a by-product of the legal profession's dedication to ensuring that the justice system continues to function in these tough times. Everyone involved handled it with dignity, and the filtered lawyer showed incredible grace. True professionalism all around!
— Judge Roy Ferguson (@JudgeFergusonTX) February 9, 2021
Ponton reacted positively to the mishap during a phone interview on Tuesday, “If I can make the country chuckle for a moment in these difficult times they’re going through, I’m happy to let them do that at my expense.”
“I got as big a laugh out of it as everybody else.”
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 10, 2021
Attorney Rod Ponton, who went viral after accidentally using a Zoom kitten filter in virtual court, joins us live to talk about how it happened. 😺 pic.twitter.com/liZ0wUfX4J
Ponton also said on the “Today” show, “I got as big a laugh out of it as everybody else.”