I’m not a cat: Lawyer’s Zoom call gaffe goes viral
A West Texas judge has a word of caution to those attending court hearings via Zoom: always check for filters before logging on.
This image from video shows a hearing from the 394th Judicial District Court of Texas. The hearing took a detour when an attorney showed up looking like a kitten. A filter that had been activated on the attorney's device obscured his appearance and made him look like a cat. Judge Roy Ferguson shared the short video clip of the mishap on YouTube. The judge says everyone involved handled the situation with professionalism and grace. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)
Judge Roy Ferguson’s warning comes after lawyer Rod Ponton accidentally joined a video court hearing while using a Zoom filter that made him appear like a fluffy white kitten.
“I’m here live. I’m not a cat,” Ponton said.
“I can see that,” replied Ferguson, whose district covers five counties in West Texas.
A lawyer using Zoom had to let a judge know that he wasn’t a cat after inadvertently activating a face filter pic.twitter.com/vChc14mjM1
— Mikael Thalen (@MikaelThalen) February 9, 2021
The short video clip, which was shared online by Ferguson, ends with others coaching Ponton on how to remove the cat filter.
The judge said on Twitter: “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!”
A re-post of the video to Twitter now has more than six million views.
In an interview, Ponton said he had fielded calls from around the world and has been booked for national television.
“I always wanted to be famous for being a great lawyer. Now I’m famous for appearing in court as a cat,” he told the Associated Press.
-AP
