Kansas Man Seeks Sword Fight with Ex-Wife to Settle Custody Battle

David Ostrom, 40, has requested to be granted a trial by combat so he can engage in a sword fight with his ex-wife and her attorney, reported Fox News.

According to Ostrom, his ex-wife Bridgette Ostrom and her attorney Matthew Hudson have destroyed him legally.

Ostrom asked the Iowa District Court to give him 12 weeks to find katana and wakizashi swords for his requested battle.

To this day, trial by combat has never been explicitly banned or restricted as a right in these United States, Ostrom argued. According to reports across the web, Ostrom and his wife have been engaged in court disputes over custody and visitation rights, as well as property tax payments.

A Kansas man seeks a court-ordered sword fight to settle a dispute with his ex-wife in Harlan over communication with their kids. He requests time to obtain samurai swords and said the woman’s attorney may fight instead as her “champion” (via @jstrongDTH). https://t.co/hzLaZDHoMj

— Carroll Times Herald (@carrollspaper) January 13, 2020

Ostrom said his motion is coming from frustration with Hudson who made the argument that since 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.

Hudson asked the court to suspend Ostrom’s child visitation rights and have him undergo a psychological evaluation ordered by the court.