Fans of HBO's Game of Thrones are no doubt familiar with "trial by combat." It was an actual practice in medieval times that author George R.R. Martin uses liberally in his fantasy world of Westeros as a means for characters to get out of various sticky situations.
A Staten Island lawyer looks to have had the same idea. He is currently accused of aiding a client in a "fraudulent transfer." Rather than settle the case in court like most people, however, Game of Thrones fan Richard Luthmann has declared to the New York State Supreme Court that he is invoking his right to trial by combat.
"Defendant invokes the common law writ of right and demands his common law right to Trial By Combat as against plaintiffs and their counsel, whom plaintiff wishes to implead into the Trial By Combat by writ of right," the court documents state.
It sounds completely insane, but Luthmann has done his research. As The Wrap reports, Luthmann goes into a detailed legal history of the practice in his submitted paperwork.
"Since [1776], no American court in post-independence United States to the undersigned's knowledge has addressed the issue, and thus the trial by combat remains a right reserved to the people and a valid alternative to civil action," Luthmann writes.
In Game of Thrones, fan favorite Tyrion Lannister invokes his right to trial by combat on two separate occasions, each with different results. He uses it to escape the Erie by choosing the sellsword Bronn as his champion. Later, after Tyrion is accused or murdering King Joffrey, Tyrion once again calls for trial by combat. Only this time it isn't Bronn who fights for Tyrion, but Oberyn Martell, who seeks revenge against the King's champion Ser Gregor Clegane. The trial doesn't go in Tyrion's favor.
What are the actual chances of the New York State Supreme Court allowing Luthamann to choose his champion and battle it out to the death in order to prove his innocence or guilt? Probably non existent. But hey, it was a nice try.
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