As an attorney who has seen a lot of their cases shift online or over the phone amid the pandemic, we can certainly empathize with Texas lawyer Rod Ponton who saw his most recent Zoom hearing go awry when his computer turned him into a cat.
Anyone whose Zoomed with friends or family during the pandemic his probably messed around with filters or background settings, but obviously some of these fun filters aren’t appropriate for a work setting. They are especially inappropriate when someone’s fate hangs in the balance at court, but Ponton, who was using a someone else’s computer for the hearing, couldn’t figure out how to turn off the cat filter.
A clip of the incident, which was released earlier this week by Judge Roy Ferguson of the 394 Judicial District of Texas, set the internet on fire. You can see the 42 second clip below.
Ponton appeared on The Today Show yesterday to talk about the incident, saying he got a big laugh out of it.
“I was having lunch after that hearing, and I was wondering why my phone was blowing up with calls from around the country and around the world,” Ponton said. “I didn’t know if I was in trouble or what was going on, but I finally figured it out. I got as big a laugh out of it as everybody else.”
If you need legal help in the greater Twin Cities area, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm. We promise we won’t go to virtual court with our filters on unless you want us to. Give us a call today at (952) 224-2277 or to set up your free case review.
