A plastic surgeon in California is under investigation after he attended a virtual traffic court hearing while performing surgery on a patient. In video footage of the video conference, Dr. Scott Green is seen in an operating room wearing scrubs, a surgical mask, and a theatre cap. The patient's procedure appears to be taking place just out of view.
"Unless I’m mistaken, I’m seeing a defendant that’s in the middle of an operating room appearing to be actively engaged in providing services to a patient. Is that correct, Mr. Green?" the presiding judge, Sacramento Superior Court Commissioner Gary Link, says.
Green confirms he is in surgery and suggests they proceed.
"I do not feel comfortable for the welfare of a patient," Link says, but Green insists there was another surgeon at hand to take over "so I can stand here and allow them to do the surgery also."
"Not allowed. I don't think that is appropriate," Link responds, adding that he would be postponing the hearing.
In a statement to HuffPost, a spokesperson for the Medical Board of California said it was aware of the incident and would be looking into it. The board "expects physicians to follow the standard of care when treating their patients," said spokesman Carlos Villatoro.
This is not the first video conference to raise a few eyebrows. Last month a Texas attorney went viral after he accidentally turned on a cat filter during a virtual court hearing. Proceedings had to be paused as Judge Roy Ferguson tried to coach Attorney Rod Ponton, of Presidio County, Texas, on how to turn off the Zoom filter that made him look like a furry white kitten.
In a short video clip of the hearing, Ferguson explains to Ponton that he had activated the filter.
"I don’t know how to remove it. I’ve got my assistant here, she’s trying to, but I’m prepared to go forward with it," Ponton says before clarifying: "I’m here live. I’m not a cat."
"I can see that," Ferguson replies, then explains how Ponton can turn the filter off.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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