'I'm Not A Cat' : US Lawyer Attends VC Hearing With Accidental Kitten Filter; Judge Responds With Grace

A virtual hearing in a US court witnessed hilarious scenes after a lawyer happened to appear with a kitten filter accidentally turned on.

The viral video of this mishap, which now has internet in splits, relates to the Zoom hearing in 394th Judicial District Court, Texas. When the session began, the judge Roy Ferguson happened to notice advocate Rod Ponton with a "cat-face" due to the Zoom filter settings.

The judge, without losing his composure, told in a notable measured tone.

"Mr.Ponton, I believe you have a filter turned on in the video settings. You might want to....".

Immediately, the lawyer, with a worried and awkward tone, replied, "I'm trying to..Can you hear me judge?"

"I can hear you. I think it is a filter...", the judge replied.

"It is. And I don't know how to remove it. I have called my assistant and she is trying to...I'm prepared to go forward with it", the lawyer frantically replied.

Quite hilariously, he added, "I'm here live. I am not a cat".

"I can see that", the judge responded, again with remarkable composure. The judge suggested Ponto clicks the up arrow in the panel.

After the video went viral on social media, Judge Ferguson wrote in a tweet: "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."

The judge handled the situation with commendable grace, dignity and also humour, without taking offence. The judge viewed it as an indication of "legal community's dedication to the cause of justice".

"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 Fergusson wrote in twitter.

The judge also permitted media outlets to use the video footage.

"Media outlets, you may use the video. It was recorded during a virtual hearing in the 394th DC of TX, and released for educational purposes. It is crucial that this not be used to mock the lawyers, but instead to exemplify the legal community's dedication to the cause of justice", the judge added.

As per a report in the Los Angeles Times, the mishap happened when the lawyer was using his secretary's computer, in which the cat filter settings were turned on in the Zoom software. Within a minute, the problem was fixed and the hearing went ahead as scheduled.

Recently, the Madras High Court took exception to an advocate making representation from a car. The Court admonished the conduct as "casual" and "disrespectful". The Karnataka High Court has also made a similar observation when a lawyer attended VC hearing from his car.

Neckbands & Broadbands : Of Lawyers Attending VC Hearings From Non-Office Spaces

The VC hearings in Indian courts have witnessed scenes of advocates appearing shirtless, being caught smoking, munching snacks etc. Also, there have been occasions when virtual court hearings were interrupted with background noises of babies crying, dogs barking, and even vegetable vendors from streets crying out rates.