According to NBC News, in the last strange occurrence of the court hearing that happened Thursday, a plastic surgeon conducted the traffic court trial during the surgery.
Sacramento doctor Scott Green showed up practically in scrubs and gloves, much to the surprise of the ward secretary.
“Hello, Mr. Green? Is he available for the test?” asked the secretary, according to images shared by The Sacramento Bee. “Looks like you’re in an operating room right now?”
The doctor assured the secretary that he was well on his way.
“I am, sir,” Green said.
He continued, “Yes, right now I’m in an operating room. I’m available for the test. Go ahead.”
Shortly after Sacramento High Court Commissioner Gary Link entered Zoom’s hearing, he asked for an adjournment, saying he was not comfortable with the idea of the doctor attending middle surgery.
“Unless I’m wrong, I see a defendant who is in the middle of an operating room that appears to be actively involved in providing services to a patient,” he said. “Is that right, Mr. Green?”
Green confirmed once again that he was in the middle of surgery, but that another doctor in the room was conducting the patient’s operation at the time.
“I have another surgeon here who does the surgery with me, so I can be here and allow them to do the surgery as well,” Green replied.
Despite Green’s assurance that the court was free to proceed, Link ended the hearing, citing the patient’s well-being.
“I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s appropriate,” Link commented, noting that they would arrive at a different date for when Green “does not actively participate or participate and attends to a patient’s needs.”
Green apologized for the incident and said the timing of the surgery is not always going as planned.
Link concluded the hearing by saying, “It happens. We want to keep people healthy, we want to keep them alive. That’s important.”
The hearing was streamed live and posted to YouTube as specified by law, as traffic tests are required to be made public, The Sacramento Bee noted.
The incident came weeks after a court hearing in Texas was disrupted after a lawyer managed to get caught with a cat filter covering his face.