I saw something like this on Star Trek NG - Sentient Being episode. 
Of course "Data" was played by an actual person (Brent Spiner), so who actually thought him a computer? Science fiction is fun!
Let's hope the chimp doesn't make monkeys of those who act out for him in court. It's an obvious case to decide, but then, it's a New York court. With modern graphics technology it's simple to "morph" a chimp into a human. Shall they remove those who've seen "Planet of the Apes" in the vetting process? (chuckle)
We already know kangaroos have been proven in court. Even recently.