Man Employs A.I. Avatar in Legal Appeal, and Judge Isn’t Amused

Jerome Dewald sat with his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap in front of an appellate panel of New York State judges, ready to argue for a reversal of a lower court’s decision in his dispute with a former employer.

The court had allowed Mr. Dewald, who is not a lawyer and was representing himself, to accompany his argument with a prerecorded video presentation.

As the video began to play, it showed a man seemingly younger than Mr. Dewald’s 74 years wearing a blue collared shirt…