40-year-old man from Kansas, David Ostrom, asked an Iowa court to “grant his motion for trial by combat,” in attempt to settle a custody battle with his ex-wife. According to Ostrom, his ex-wife, Bridgette Ostrom, destroyed him legally. He asked the court to give him 12 weeks to find or forge katana and wakizashi swords. Ostrom argued in court records that “trial by combat” has never been banned or restricted as a right in the U.S. Furthermore, he says that the method was used as recently as 1818 in British Court. Much of David Ostrom’s frustrations stem from his ex-wife’s attorney, Matthew Hudson. In response to Ostrom’s request, Hudson filed a resistance to the motion, arguing that a duel could end in death, which the ramifications outweigh those of property tax and custody issues.
Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/14/kansas-man-japanese-swordfight
