And finally… touché

A man has asked a judge to let him resolve a dispute with his ex-wife and her lawyer through “trial by combat” with samurai swords.

David Ostrom, 40, told the court that he could secure the Japanese swords within 12 weeks to allow for the trio to “resolve our disputes on the field of battle”.

Mr Ostrom, who lives in Kansas, is in a dispute with his ex-wife Bridgette, who lives in Iowa, over custody, visitation issues and property tax payments, The Guardian reports.

He has a particular issue with the “absurdity” of submissions by her lawyer, Matthew Hudson, he told Shelby County District Court, suggesting Mr Hudson could fight him as his ex-wife’s champion.

Mr Ostrom insisted in his filing that trial by combat “has never been explicitly banned or restricted as a right in these United States”.

However, Mr Hudson asked the judge to refuse the request on the basis that the potential ramifications – notably death – “likely outweigh those of property tax and custody issues”.

Judge Craig Dreismeier said he would not respond to either man’s filing until procedural issues had been sorted.

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