A Michigan lawyer learned an expensive lesson in virtual courtroom decorum after his microphone caught a vulgar remark directed at the presiding judge.
In In re Contempt of Marshall Tauber (Mich. Ct. App. Sept. 30, 2025), defense lawyer Marshall Tauber was sanctioned for calling Oakland Circuit Judge Yasmine Poles a “f****** c***” at the close of a Zoom bond hearing. Believing he had logged off, Tauber uttered the slur immediately after the judge ended the proceeding. Unfortunately for him, the court, the clerk, and even his client in jail all heard it.
Judge Poles found Tauber in direct criminal contempt, fined him $7,500, and described the comment as “despicable and demeaning” and “surely unbecoming of any lawyer.” On appeal, Tauber argued that he was denied due process and that the contempt should have been treated as indirect because it occurred over Zoom.
The Michigan Court of Appeals disagreed. The panel held that a virtual hearing is still the “immediate view and presence of the court,” meaning misconduct on Zoom can be punished summarily. The judges affirmed both the finding of contempt and the $7,500 fine.
The opinion closes with an implicit warning to all lawyers: the courtroom—virtual or not—demands respect. In this case, one unmuted moment cost $7,500 and a lasting spot in the appellate reports.
