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February 10, 2021 When Judge Roy Ferguson opened the virtual session of the 394th Texas Judicial District Court on the Zoom platform, he certainly didn't expect to see two lawyers and a kitten.
The county attorney, Rod Ponton, had in fact been replaced by a filter that covers the image of the person connected in videoconference with the blue-eyed cat, as can be seen in the lower right corner of the screen.
"Mr. Ponton, I believe you have the filter activated in the video settings," the judge said.
"I'm here live, I'm not a cat," he replied.
"I see it," Ferguson pointed out.
Here is the video posted on Twitter courtesy of the judge:
'I'm not a cat': Texas attorney Rod Ponton tells judge after appearing for a district court proceeding on Zoom with a kitten filter turned on https://t.co/igLvmOakA6 đ± pic.twitter.com/i9W4d4M9OK
- Reuters (@Reuters) February 10, 2021
The video went viral on social media, and Ferguson tried to justify himself with a tip to the popular platform: If a kid has used your computer, check before attending a virtual audition. Video Zoom Options to make sure the filters are off. "
69-year-old lawyer Ponton told Reuters he wasn't sure how the filter appeared." I logged into my secretary's computer to appear at this hearing via Zoom , and when everyone is ready the judge calls the case and everyone's face should appear on Zoom.
"And everyone's face popped out except mine. Mine was a cat," he said.
It was Judge Ferguson who helped Ponton remove the filter so that the hearing could continue.
"Everyone involved reacted with dignity and the Ponton attorney with the filter was incredibly gracious," he said.