A video of a Texas Judicial District Court Zoom meeting has gone viral around the world. In the video, a lawyer appeared as a kitten due to a Zoom filter that had been activated that neither he nor his assistant knew how to remove. The lawyer felt the need to clarify his attendance to the judge and other lawyers, stating: “I’m here live, I’m not a cat.”
Lawyer Rod Ponton said that he was happy people got to have a laugh over a 42-second video clip of his virtual meeting for a civil forfeiture case hearing. In the video, the Texas attorney was unable to figure out how to turn off the cat filter on his Zoom call.
“Mr. Ponton, I believe you have a filter turned on in the video settings, you might want to take a look,” said Judge Roy Ferguson, presiding over the case, at the beginning of the video.
Watch Below:
“Uhh, we’re trying to — can you hear me, Judge?” said Ponton, as the kitten’s eyes comically look at the corner of the screen.
“I can hear you,” said Judge Ferguson, clarifying that audio was not the issue. “I think it’s a filter.”
“It is, and I don’t know how to remove it. I’ve got my assistant here, she’s trying to, but, ahh, I’m prepared to go forward with it,” said Ponton, who went on to clarify, “I’m here live, I’m not a cat.”
“I can see that,” responded Judge Ferguson.
During the exchange between Ponton and Ferguson, another lawyer on the call, H. Gibbs Bauer, puts his glasses on and leans forward, appearing to try to better examine the kitten on the screen, and keeps a straight face. Meanwhile, a third lawyer on the call, Jerry L. Phillips, doesn’t move, but does crack a smile.
The video was posted to the court’s YouTube page, and Judge Ferguson himself later tweeted out the link.
“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),” wrote Ferguson on Twitter.
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). #lawtwitter #OhNo @zoom_ushttps://t.co/I0zaj0wu6K
— Judge Roy Ferguson (@JudgeFergusonTX) February 9, 2021
“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,” said Ponton later in an interview with New York Times.
Ponton added that he was using his secretary’s computer and that she was “mortified” by the mistake.
The lawyer also mentioned that he isn’t on Twitter, so he had no idea that the video had become a viral sensation until he started getting calls from reporters a little over an hour after the hearing ended on Tuesday.
The report added that the kitten fiasco lasted less than a minute before Ponton figured out how to turn the filter off, and they were able to get back to their meeting.
“My older and less humorous face popped up, and we continued with the hearing,” said Ponton.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.