Legal proceedings aren’t always the most fun or entertaining, but Texas lawyer Rod Ponton’s recent Zoom gaffe certainly did help to lighten the mood. Ponton was on a video conference call with a judge when he somehow activated the cat filter in Zoom, turning his screen into a cute kitten.
To make things even worse, this is one of those filters that can track your eyes and mouth, meaning that it moves according to where you look and when you talk. Combine that with Ponton’s voice and the results are hilarious. Judge Roy Ferguson of Texas’s 394th judicial district informed Ponton that he had a filter on, in which Ponton responded by saying he does not know how to turn it off.
He also attempted to reassure that he was not a cat. According to Ponton, “And I don’t know how to remove it. I’ve got my assistant here, she’s trying to, but I’m prepared to go forward with it. I’m here live. I’m not a cat,” to which the judge responded by saying, “I can see that.” How anyone managed to hold in their laughter at that point is beyond us, but as Ferguson later tweeted, it showed “true professionalism”.
“These fun moments are a byproduct 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!”