'I'm not a cat': Lawyer reassures judge he isn't a kitten after Zoom mix up

9 February 2021, 22:49

A court hearing was temporarily delayed after a lawyer used a cat filter on his video chat - with hilarious results.

The Covid-19 has forced millions all over the world to adjust to working from home, and lawyers and judges have been included among those people.

Attorney Rod Ponton has now gone viral after he mistakenly attended a virtual hearing with the filter on in the 394th district of Texas to deal with a case involving a man trying to leave the US with contraband.

But despite the seriousness of the situation, the filter of the adorable kitten synced with his own facial movements, adding to the hilarity

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“I can hear you,” Judge Ferguson said in the clip. “I think it’s a filter.”

Mr Ponton can be heard replying: “It is and I don’t know how to remove it.

“I’ve got my assistant here and she’s trying to remove it but uh … I’m prepared to go forward with it."

But clearly keen to reassure the room he wasn't some kind of talking animal he added: "I’m here live. I’m not a cat.”

Speaking to Vice in the aftermath of the video going viral, Mr Ponton said the mix-up happened when he tried to use his secretary's laptop.

He told the publication: “I was using her computer and for some reason she had that filter on. I took it off and replaced it with my face.

"It was a case involving a man trying to exit the United States with contraband and contraband cash. All it was was a mistake. It was taken off and we had the hearing as normal.”

The meeting mix-up comes after the UK saw its own viral star created in the form of Jackie Weaver, and the debate over whether she did or did not have the authority during a parish council meeting.