Many ex-husbands who go through divorce are frustrated over the fact that they may never see their children again and would do anything to get them back.
But how about challenging your ex-partner to a court-ordered physical duel — using Japanese katanas?
That’s what one man by the name of David Ostrom did.
Apparently, Ostrom, 40, from Paola, Kansas requested to have the custody battle against his ex-wife, Bridgette Ostrom, 38, settled by something known as “trial by combat.” David is defending himself against his ex-wife and her lawyer, Matthew Hudson. David suggested having katana swords utilized for this battle.
Any Game of Thrones fan or nerd will immediately pick up on that reference, which is ‘trial by combat.’ Yes, that’s right, this bizarre court filing actually belongs to the once-popular HBO show, with a questionable final season BTW (no, never going to let that go).
In David’s own words, “I’ve seen the television show and read the books.”
Okay, so it’s clear that this man is a huge GoT fan and has clearly been influenced by the cultures of its fictional world. Regardless, he clearly has some issues. But, that’s not to say that it’s something isolated.
Some reports suggest that divorce is harder on men as they develop an emotional dependence on their spouse whereas women are likely to maintain a range of emotional support, which allows them to deal with the difficult process of going through a divorce and then living with the changes that come after that.
Contradictory Reasoning
This is what grabbed the attention the most:
“Petitioner demands the Court sanction Trial by Combat to resolve these disputes.”
In spite of the context in which ‘trial by combat’ he’s referring to, David insists the following:
“I’m not interested in physically causing harm to anyone.”
David insists that he is not violent or crazy but rather frustrated because he thinks the system, which in some counties, especially the one he is in is stacked against men in general when it comes to issues of child custody and financial support.
It’s one thing to be frustrated and why one would be able to sympathize with his feelings at that point. However, he lost the conversation the moment he suggested having a ‘trial by combat’ with Japanese swords, which can fatally wound an individual, and then try to insist that he is not violent or wants to cause others physical harm.
David says:
“They’ve tried to ignore me, not address equal custody, and I think this puts a spotlight on them.”
From the looks of it, it appears as though he’s trying to shift the blame and make himself the victim.
Interestingly, the outrageous ‘trial by combat’ condition was eventually outlawed in the TV show, even though no such explicit prohibition exists in the United States, which was part of Ostrom’s argument.
The Solution
Hudson, Bridgette’s lawyer said in response:
“… Just because the US 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.”
The lawyer then suggested Ostrom lose visitation rights to his children and submit himself to a psychiatric evaluation.
In spite of literally contradicting himself by suggesting a duel with a deadly katana sword with his wife and then saying that he is not a violent or crazy person, David insisting that the whole thing in the court that is against him is ridiculous and absurd and that’s the point.
Grasping at Straws
David says, “I’ve kind of run out of options and no one pays attention to what I think is the hardship on myself and my children.”
If it was the attention he wanted, he certainly has that now, but not exactly in the positive manner that he was hoping for. In spite of that, David says he’ll take it if it further opens up the conversation about co-parenting, in his case as well as others.
Honestly, the sooner this guy gets the screws in his head tightened up, the better it will be for him, but more importantly, his ex-wife and kids.
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