CNN reported that a rare incident occurred at an online trial of the 394 District Court of Justice, Texas, on February 9. While the trial was taking place, lawyer Rod Ponton's display on the Zoom app suddenly showed an image of a cat with a white fur coat. The incident was posted on the court's Youtube channel.
Judge Roy B. Ferguson, who presides over the trial, had to temporarily stop handling the cat in the virtual boardroom, asking lawyer Rod Ponton to adjust his Zoom settings.
"Mr. Ponton, I think you turned on the filter function in the video installation," the judge said.
The little white cat looked sad with worried eyes moving back and forth and opened her mouth to make a profit.
''Do you hear me say no judges? This is me, I'm not a cat'', lawyer Ponton said, posing as a cat on screen.
Judge Ferguson later confirmed the problem on the Zoom app, saying, 'The incident really happened. But it's not a joke''.
He also said that the Zoom filter was removed within seconds and that he had instructed the lawyer on how to remove the function. The judge said that although the incident appeared 'unprofessional', the way the parties handled the situation was very proud and in this case, no one laughed at or mocked the lawyer.
Lawyer Ponton explained that he borrowed the Secretary's computer to attend the online hearing, so it is possible that the Secretary or her daughter used the image of the cat on the computer for the last time.
In the state of Texas, online hearing sessions have become a major activity in the context of the pandemic. Ferguson said Texas judges have held more than 1 million virtual trials at the time.
Judge Ferguson then took to his personal Twitter page to warn people about using the zoom app: "If a child is using your computer, before you attend a virtual session, check the video settings in the Zoom app to ensure the filter is turned off"...
The interesting story about this pet cat is not the only video incident that occurred during the pandemic. A North Carolina reporter from CNN encountered a similar situation when he was broadcasting live on the station's Facebook page when a series of filters appeared, making him look like a witch and then change into a big big eye on screen. However, he still completed his work excellently.
