In news important to all grapplers, the Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that the floor is not a weapon:
The court Thursday reversed the assault conviction of James Michael Marohl, who was accused of forcing a drunken man onto the floor of the Little Creek Casino in Shelton, causing minor injuries and breaking the man’s prosthetic arm.
At his trial, the prosecutor argued that an arm lock and taking the man to the floor met the law’s requirement of using objects likely to produce bodily harm.
But the unanimous high court ruling says that definition doesn’t include a bare arm or a floor — unless a victim is repeatedly slammed against it — and that didn’t happen in this case.