Newly Discovered Punishment: Stripping of Medals

Yesterday at some time Guild Leader BigJohn (bigjohn.troglodite) tried the "Strip a Medal" option with Mari (marielle.itano) that came up on the Punishment screen, he made it public so we all could see the result. This was not meant as a malicious act, Mari had requested a new title and had 3 medals already.  So in order for Mari to get a new title, a medal had to be stripped away.  I asked about the process in the following interview text:

Alamiga Anatine: Hello BigJohn... Im tring to get some info on the medal stripping I heard you did last night for the TE3K Blog...
Alamiga Anatine: It was part of prison yes?
BigJohn: no it wasn't
BigJohn: I will tell you though
BigJohn: if someone has been given 3 medals by a guild, they can't get another one
BigJohn: ie
BigJohn: no titles
Alamiga Anatine: right
BigJohn: so Ultra added that
BigJohn: so I can strip a medal
BigJohn: which is why she got the medal and title afterwards
Alamiga Anatine: ok
BigJohn: it doesn't have any effect on ships
Alamiga Anatine: good
BigJohn: it's not like prison
Alamiga Anatine: so it was an option when you tried to give her a 4th medal
BigJohn: no
BigJohn: it came on the punishment screen
BigJohn: it's a 2 part process
Alamiga Anatine: ok first part was?
BigJohn: punishment
BigJohn: stripping of a medal is actually something that is good for the player
Alamiga Anatine: ok
BigJohn: but it is just a very super expensive way of titling someone
BigJohn: I was able to give ships again also
BigJohn: with the medal
Alamiga Anatine: now she wasn't at the 3500 cap?
BigJohn: no she was
BigJohn: it auto sells them
Alamiga Anatine: ok
BigJohn: he said he added it a while back
Alamiga Anatine: ah
BigJohn: it's actually a show of caring to strip a medal
BigJohn: it doesn't sound that way but
Alamiga Anatine: so did she get jail too?
BigJohn: no
BigJohn: you get 3 options now
BigJohn: jail, banish, strip a medal
Alamiga Anatine: great
BigJohn: so basically there's no negative to it
BigJohn: but it makes sense to put it in punishment
Alamiga Anatine: cept in credits
BigJohn: which was good cuz I could re title them
BigJohn: in like 4 turns
BigJohn: credits lol
BigJohn: once you top a trillion who cares
Alamiga Anatine: I got so many it isn't funny
BigJohn: but yeah, basically if you see a title stripped
BigJohn: it means that they had been titled 3 times already
BigJohn: and can't be OM
Alamiga Anatine: So with OM's you don't see that option?
BigJohn: I have no idea
BigJohn: I don't think OM's can jail
BigJohn: otherwise you get messages about OM's
Alamiga Anatine: so you have to strip a medal to give a new title in her case?
BigJohn: yes
BigJohn: no way around it
Alamiga Anatine: ok
BigJohn: otherwise you get messages about OM's

Thank you Big John for sharing this with us!