Social Media Technology Called Into Play in Family Court Cases

Bedridden Man Uses Skype to Testify Against Wife

By Jacob Gershman

Seeking an extension of a protection order against his estranged wife, an elderly Illinois man needed to show up to court and testify. The problem was that he had suffered a stroke and felt too weak to get out of bed. But he was able to testify anyway — thanks to Skype and an iPad.

Emil Kogan, according to his attorney, answered questions from his bedroom by talking into his laptop. On the other end of the video call was his attorney, who brought her iPad into the courtroom so the judge and the other lawyer could see him.

There were some technical glitches. It took a while for Mr. Kogan, who was assisted by another former wife, to lower the lid of his laptop and get the camera to focus on his face — not the wall above his head. “They didn’t quite know how the camera worked,” his attorney, Marie Fahnert, told Law Blog.
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