Some conversations are not meant to be Zoom calls, and this notion is once again proven by an old judge and an even older lawyer during a court hearing in Michigan. It appears the judge got a little too annoyed at the elderly lawyer for choosing to appear in court in an unannounced Zoom call, which led to a migraine-inducing conversation between the two.
The courtroom drama happened between Judge Corey J. Wiggins and Attorney George Serkin in the Wexford District Courtroom around May 22. As soon as the court was in session, Judge Wiggins immediately questioned why the attorney was not in the courtroom despite the notice, and the short explanation was that it would’ve taken four hours for Serkin to drive to the Wexford District Courtroom.
The judge kept questioning why the attorney didn’t seem to receive the notice to appear in court personally, and it appears the audio might have been poor on the old lawyer’s end. This led to a series of miscommunications, and the judge finally snapped and threatened the old man with contempt of court. Here’s the clip of the exchange:
Sadly, the court session had to be adjourned and rescheduled a week later, this time with a firmer condition and threat from the judge about notifying him prior; otherwise, contempt of court awaits.
However, it also appears that Judge Wiggins of Michigan felt guilty after the outburst, and one week later, during the rescheduled hearing, the judge apologized to the old lawyer in a face-to-face courtroom session. Needless to say, there was no contempt in court that day.
Old School Lawyer Still Has It
The clip of the judge losing his patience and temper during the Zoom call quickly circulated online and generated some funny responses from the viewers. Most of them were poking fun at the unintentionally funny exchange between the judge and the lawyer, which reminded many of their conversations with their grandparents.
Some, however, have misconstrued the video as the old lawyer being inept due to old age, which, thanks to the apology video above, has proven to be untrue. Attorney George Serkin himself has admitted that the error might have been clerical and technical, and the hearing still proceeded as professionally as it could.
Regardless, the interaction will likely live on as a meme for weeks or months to come, though hopefully, it shouldn’t affect the elderly lawyer’s reputation, unless his client is too picky.
“Me when my wife questions me about the missing snacks,” jokes CDNbruv
“Pretty sure he can’t hear you well and if he can his mental faculties are just not up to par 🤣,” suggests Fancy_Art_6383
“You mean not up to Bar,” responds Lilcommy
“This feels a lot like my chatgpt conversations,” recalls analnapalm
