David Ostrom of Paola, Kansas is gripped in legal combat with his ex-wife, Bridgette Ostrom, of Harlan, Iowa. Having witnessed the destruction of his fortunes at her hands, Ostrom requests to meet her or her champion on the field of honor to resolve their disputes in civilized fashion.
Ostrom filed the request with the presiding judge and requested twelve weeks of time to prepare himself, as he must train with the katana and the wakizashi, the blades of true samurai warriors. The Des Moines Register quotes him:
"To this day, trial by combat has never been explicitly banned or restricted as a right in these United States," Ostrom argues in court records, adding that it was used "as recently as 1818 in British Court."
Matthew Hudson, attorney for Bridgette Ostrom, responded:
Hudson argued that because a duel could end in death, such ramifications likely outweigh those of property tax and custody issues.
"It should be noted that just because the U.S. and Iowa constitutions do not specifically prohibit battling another person with a deadly katana sword, it does prohibit a court sitting in equity from ordering same," Hudson wrote.
-via Geekologie | Image: HBO
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