GoKawiilA local judge in Woodhaven, Michigan, lost it this week when a defendant showed up to her court hearing late, on Zoom, and… while driving a car.
Kimberly Carroll was facing a hearing over a few thousand dollars that she allegedly owed and had defaulted on. She was allowed to attend remotely, but when the hearing began, she wasn’t yet available on Zoom.
When she finally joined, Judge Michael McNally told her she needed to turn her camera on.
Carroll appeared on the screen a moment later. She was in the front seat of a car and was on the left-hand side of the vehicle. The judge, who watched this unfold with an unamused expression on his face, asked if Carroll was driving.
“I’m not driving, I’m a passenger in a car,” she said. Carroll added that she was headed out of town on an unspecified “emergency” but added that she “will have my driver pull over.”
The judge noted Carroll’s position on the left-hand side of the vehicle, the seat belt crossing her body from left to right. It certainly looked like she was in the driver’s seat.
“Am I crazy or does it not look like you are driving that car?” he asked her.
“I’m not driving the car. I’m a passenger in the car, sir.”
“What side of the car are you on?” the judge pressed.
“I’m on the left-hand side.”
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