Show caption The man said he will try to acquire a samurai sword. Photograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/EPA Kansas Man requests sword fight with ex-wife and lawyer to settle legal dispute David Ostrom, 40, of Paola, Kansas asks judge for trial by combat in 12 weeks, so he has time to secure Japanese samurai swords Associated Press Tue 14 Jan 2020 19.26 GMT Share on Facebook

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A Kansas man has asked an Iowa judge to let him engage in a sword fight with his ex-wife and her attorney in a trial by combat that will settle their ongoing legal dispute.

David Ostrom, 40, of Paola, Kansas, said in a 3 January court filing that his former wife, Bridgette Ostrom, 38, of Harlan, Iowa, and her attorney, Matthew Hudson, had “destroyed (him) legally”.

The judge had the power to let the parties “resolve our disputes on the field of battle, legally,” David Ostrom said, adding in his filing that trial by combat “has never been explicitly banned or restricted as a right in these United States”.

He also asked the judge for 12 weeks’ time so he could secure Japanese samurai swords.

The Ostroms have been embroiled in disputes over custody and visitation issues and property tax payments.

His motion filed in Shelby county district court stemmed from his frustrations with his ex-wife’s attorney, Ostrom told The Des Moines Register.

“I think I’ve met Mr Hudson’s absurdity with my own absurdity,“ Ostrom said, adding that his former wife could choose Hudson to act as her champion.

Hudson argued in his legal response that because a duel could end in death, “such ramifications likely outweigh those of property tax and custody issues”. Hudson asked the judge to reject the request for trial by combat.

Judge Craig Dreismeier said in his own filing Monday that he won’t be issuing a decision anytime soon, citing irregularities with both sides’ motions and responses.