Kansas Man Proposes Trial By Combat To Settle Custody Dispute

Technically it still hasn’t been abolished, but this guy probably will not be taken seriously. I think.

40-year-old David Ostrom, from Paola, Kansas, has been in a heated divorce with his 38-year-old ex-wife Bridgette Ostrom, from Des Moines, Iowa.  David claims that she “destroyed (him) legally,” and the two just cannot manage to settle things between them.

David’s solution? He asked the court to grant him trial by combat, so he can meet his ex and her attorney “on the field of battle where (he) will rend their souls from their corporal bodies.” Her attorney is fairly sure that he meant corporeal, not corporal, but that’s missing the big picture.

David went on to ask the court for 12 weeks to prepare for the battle because he wants to source or forge a katana and wakizashi swords.  Ostrom also argued in court that the right to a trial by combat has never been banned in the United States. He also says that his wife can use her attorney as her “champion.”

Apparently Bridgette’s attorney, Matthew Hudson, has been a source of anguish for David. He says he proposed the trial by combat to meet “Mr. Hudson’s absurdity with (his) own absurdity.”

Ostrom also admits to having no formal training when it comes to sword fighting and does not think the judge will let the fight happen, but he says he still would like an answer.

Source:: USA Today

Katana

Wakizashi