A Michigan woman is in legal trouble after making a virtual appearance in court while driving—then lying to the judge about who was behind the wheel.
Kimberly Carroll appeared via Zoom for a debt case against her in state court. When she switched on her camera, it was immediately clear that she was strapped into a moving vehicle.
“You cannot be driving, ma’am,” District Judge Michael K. McNally told the woman, before asking: “What are you doing?”
Carroll insisted she was not driving, she was merely a passenger in a moving vehicle.
McNally made plain that, whatever the situation, he refused to hear cases with defendants in cars.
Then Carroll doubled down on her lie—claiming that she was headed out of town for an emergency and that she would have her “driver pull over.” That’s when the judge grew increasingly suspicious.
“Am I crazy, or does it not look like you’re driving that car?” McNally asked, as Carroll’s hands appeared to be shifting on screen, as if she were controlling a steering wheel.
“Now you’re lying to me, right?” the judge asked.
“No, I’m not, sir,” a visibly flustered Carroll responded.
The conversation reached a boiling point when McNally demanded that Carroll show the driver on camera.
“I have to ask their permission,” Carroll replied before pulling over and climbing out of the car, where it was clear that she was, in fact, driving.
The judge snaps. “You weren’t in the driver’s side. You think I’m that stupid?”
McNally, who watched the incident play out in disbelief, then entered a default judgment. “Defendant was not available at the time and then was driving a car and telling the court she was not,” he stated for the record. Case closed.
The Zoom exchange was not the first time a virtual court appearance has gone awry in Michigan.
In 2024, a man with a suspended driver’s license appeared in state court while driving, leaving Judge Cedric Simpson dumbfounded.
Then, months later, a Detroit police officer took an oath over Zoom ... while pantsless.
In Michigan, lying to a judge under oath is a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The officer smartly admitted to being undressed when asked by the judge.
