A lawyer accidentally logged into virtual court with a kitten Zoom filter and hilarity ensued as he couldn't figure out how to turn it off.
In a time where Zoom video meetings are the new norm, technical difficulties could apparently mean the difference between guilty or not guilty. This Zoom courtroom got a lot more jovial when this cool cat entered the call.
RELATED: 13-Year-Old Grabs Wrong Shade And Mom Can’t Stop Laughing At The Fake Tan Gone Wrong
There’s a saying that ‘Cats choose us, we don’t own them.’ But judging from the embarrassed look on this "cat’s" face, the lawyer definitely didn’t choose to be displayed as a cat in court.
Upon entering his scheduled courtroom hearing via Zoom, lawyer Rod Ponton realized this was not going to be a normal court proceeding. No matter how many years he spent in university, and all his years practicing law, Rod realized on this day he would have to face something he had never had to face during his legal career, camera filters.
Video conferencing platforms such as Zoom often have filters that can allow the user to change their appearance. Some may make you look as though you are wearing sunglasses or makeup. Apparently, some Zoom filters make you look like a kitten.
People can also use green screen technology to change their background. So instead of a messy house, it appears they are seated on a tropical island. No matter how prepared Rod was that day, nothing could have prepared him for the shock of entering a court hearing and realizing a Zoom filter essentially had him disguised as a kitten.
This particular Zoom call was an average court hearing just like any other. But after feline Rod Ponton entered the call the judge had to address the elephant in the room.
“Mr. Ponton I believe you have a filter turned on,” the judge stated. Upon hearing this proclamation fellow lawyer, H. Gibbs Bauer, had to sit up and take a closer look, even going so far as to put his glasses on to confirm what was on his screen.
RELATED: Wife Turns Sleeping Husband Into Viral Sensation When She Uses Him as Clothes Model
Poor Rod was very confused since he looked totally normal on the screen, and not like a cat at all, before the meeting got underway. Rod then attempted to explain himself. He told the courtroom in a scattered voice that he was now aware of the kitten Zoom filter on his camera, and that he and his assistant were hard at work trying to figure out a way to remove it.
As it turns out, the lawyer was using a 10-year-old computer, and the fix wasn’t quite a simple one. Apparently, the filter wasn’t a standard Zoom filter, but rather one associated with older Dell technology. So efforts to turn the kitten Zoom filter off didn’t work.
So after unfortunately not being able to resolve his technical difficulty in a timely manner, Rod told the judge he was prepared to move forward despite the embarrassing filter.
Rod, however, did not feel like this was enough explanation. And to clarify his situation further he explained to the courtroom, “I’m not a cat!” In response, fellow judge, Jerry L. Phillips could not contain his laughter.
After 42 seconds that probably felt like an eternity, Rod’s normal image was mysteriously returned, and the meeting was able to resume. The lawyer has since given interviews about the hilarious incident and is taking his newfound viral fame in stride.
"The lion roars and the wildcat snarls, but the teeth of strong lions will be broken." Job 4:10
h/t: Godtube
Featured Image Credit: Youtube/394th District Court of Texas - Live Stream