California doctor performs surgery while appearing at video traffic court appointment
The world of videoconferencing and remote work has taken strange turns during the pandemic, with the foibles of faulty technology — or the simply bizarre — on view.
The image of “Lawyer Cat,” the Texas lawyer who found himself transformed into a virtual kitten in front of a judge when he could not shut off his Zoom filter, became a viral sensation a few weeks ago.
Now add to the annals the Case of the Distracted Doc.
A Northern California plastic surgeon who showed up for his traffic trial Thursday afternoon via videoconference surprised a Sacramento judge by going live from his operating room.
Amid the whirs and bleeps of medical machinery, the sounds of suction and the bright glow of surgical lamps, Scott Green appeared before Sacramento Superior Court Commissioner Gary Link’s virtual courtroom at Carol Miller Justice Center, donning his surgical scrubs, ready to proceed, the patient undergoing the procedure just out of view.
“Hello, Mr. Green? Are you available for trial?” asked a courtroom clerk. “It kind of looks like you’re in an operating room right now?”
“I am, sir,” Green replied. “Yes, I’m in an operating room right now. I’m available for trial. Go right ahead.”
Traffic trials are required by law to be open to the public. With limited access to courtrooms due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Sacramento Superior Court proceedings are livestreamed and posted to YouTube.
Green wasn’t fazed as, head down, he continued his work, but Link wasn’t amused even as the commissioner tried to absorb what he was seeing on his monitor.
“So 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? Or should I say Dr. Green?” Link asked over the sounds of suction and the beep-beep of medical devices.
“I do not feel comfortable for the welfare of a patient if you’re in the process of operating that I would put on a trial notwithstanding the fact the officer is here today,” the commissioner said.
Green assured Link that all was well. Another surgeon was working beside him, he said.
“I have another surgeon right here who’s doing the surgery with me, so I can stand here and allow them to do the surgery also,” Green said.
“I don’t think so. I don’t think that’s appropriate,” Link said. “I’m going to come up with a different date — when you’re not actively involved or participating and attending to the needs of a patient. Let me see if I can get a different date here.”
That brought an apology from the still-working doc.
“I apologize, Your Honor, to the court. Sometimes, surgery doesn’t always go as—”
Link interrupted: “It happens. We want to keep people healthy, we want to keep them alive. That’s important.”
“I’m concerned about the welfare of the patient based on what I’m seeing,” the commissioner said, before assigning Green a new March court date. “Is that going to make your calendar, I hope?”
Green assured Commissioner Link that it would.
Green did not respond to requests for comment.
The Medical Board of California in a statement Friday said it would look into the incident saying it “expects physicians to follow the standard of care when treating their patients.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 4:24 PM with the headline "California doctor performs surgery while appearing at video traffic court appointment."
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