Michigan judge scolds woman for joining virtual hearing while driving – National
Kimberly Carroll appeared before Woodhaven District Judge Michael K. McNally on Monday, where she’s accused by LVNV Funding LLC, a consumer debt buyer, of owing US$1,788.08, according to a video shared to McNally’s YouTube channel.
Carroll was late for the virtual hearing and McNally chose to move forward without her in attendance and entered a default judgment order for her to pay the debt, as well as filing and service fees.
Once she joined the hearing, McNally asked her to turn on her camera and state her name.
“I’ve never done one of these before. My name is Kimberly Carroll. I’m sorry,” she said.
“You cannot be driving ma’am. What are you doing? Come on,” McNally responded as her video turned on.
Carroll told the judge that she was “not driving” and was “a passenger in a car.”
“I’m not hearing cases with people driving or as passengers in cars,” McNally told Carroll.
Carroll told McNally that she had “an emergency” and was heading out of town for a family member.
“But I will have my driver pull over. Hang on one second. I’m sorry. I didn’t know that I wasn’t allowed to be in a car,” she told the judge.
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“Am I crazy, or does it not look like you’re driving that car?” the judge added, before asking Carroll, “What side of the car are you on?”
Carroll told McNally that she was on the left-hand side of her car.
“How would you be on the left-hand side if you’re a passenger in the front seat? Am I missing something?” the judge asked.
Carroll quickly changed her answer to say that she was on the “right-hand side” and apologized to McNally.
“Yeah, the seatbelt’s coming out of the driver’s side. Now you’re lying to me, right?” he asked.
Carroll denied that she was lying to the judge and he ordered her to show the driver of the vehicle.
“Hang on one second,” Carroll said, before claiming that she needed permission to film the driver and abruptly got out of her car.
“No, you weren’t on the passenger side. Do you think I’m that stupid?” McNally said.
The judge then told Carroll he was re-entering the default judgment.
He said that Carroll “lied” to him and told his clerk to note that “the defendant was not available at the time and then was driving a car and telling the court she was not.”
As the hearing was coming to an end, Carroll told the judge that she “signed in at 1:30” for the virtual hearing.
“You’ve got an attitude, I’ll tell you that. I’m not putting up with nonsense. Good luck to you,” McNally replied.
A similar situation took place in 2024, when Corey Harris of Ann Arbor, Mich., joined a virtual court hearing over his suspended licence and the district judge was left speechless as the defendant was clearly driving a car.
When Judge Cedric Simpson called the case, Harris joined via Zoom and was visibly in the process of driving.
“Mr. Harris, are you driving?” Simpson asked the man with a suspended licence.
“Actually, I’m pulling into my doctor’s office,” Harris replied with his eyes on the road. “Just give me one second. I’m parking right now.”
The courtroom fell silent after Harris’s confession that he was indeed driving. Simpson looked out into the courtroom with a smile.
“You stationary?” Simpson asked.
“Yes, I am. I am pulling in right now,” Harris replied.
Harris’s public defender then asked the court for permission to adjourn for up to four weeks. Awkward silence followed, then Simpson asked the defence for clarification.
“OK, maybe I don’t understand something,” he said. “This is a driving while a licence is suspended, and he was just driving and he didn’t have a licence?”
The public defender confirmed the charges. Simpson produced a printout of Harris’s record, which states the defendant does not currently have a legal driver’s licence.
“I don’t even know why he would do that,” the judge said before revoking Harris’s bond.
He told Harris to turn himself in to the local county jail by 6 p.m. that evening.
— with files from Global News
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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