Federal lawsuit against Lance Armstrong hits stalemate
Federal lawsuit against disgraced cyclist hits an impasse over retrieval of emails
The US government's lawsuit against Lance Armstrong has hit stalemate this week, as the attorneys of both sides accuse the other of holding back evidence in the case.
Armstrong's lawyers are alleging that the government's legal team are holding onto documents that they claim show the US Postal Service did not suffer damage from the prolific doping within the team they sponsored between 1996 and 2004
Meanwhile the government's legal team are accusing Armstrong of refusing to turn over records of his drug use, as well as email conversations with those knew about the doping and willingly helped hide it.
The government need only prove however, that the team misrepresented itself in recruiting sponsorship, rather than causing any damage.
The Texan won six out of his seven Tour de France victories with the US Postal Service team, before having the titles stripped in late 2012 when the US Anti-Doping Agency gathered enough evidence to be satisfied that the he had doped throughout those wins. Armstrong later admitted to using performance enhancing drugs in early 2013.
The legal team of the government are specifically looking for email conversations between Armstrong and former USPS team owner, Thom Weisel.
Armstrong's attorneys asked for the email exchanges to be limited to a specific search term, but the government are holding out for all emails between the two.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"Our position -and I repeat it for the record - is we need a set of search terms from the government," said Armstrong's attorney Sharif Jacob in court, "Why don't you send them over so we can consider them?"
David Finkelstein, an attorney to the government responded: "I just said our search term is Mr. Weisel's email address. You said, 'I'm not going to run that unless you limit it further.' Have I mischaracterized your position?"
Jacob replied: "If the government is refusing to provide any modifiers to that search term...we have reached an impasse."
The government began its lawsuit against Armstrong after former teammate Floyd Landis filed a complaint in 2010 to start the whistleblower lawsuit.
The US government is searching for compensation under the False Claims Act, which could see it receive $100m in damages.
Jacob however, argues that the government benefited from the sponsorship and suffered no damages through its time with the team.
"The government is withholding from production evidence that will prove beyond a doubt that it has not suffered any damages," Jacob said, while he also pointed out that the sponsorship "yielded the holy grail of marketing: new cash revenue."
The case continues.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Follow on Twitter: @richwindy
Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.
An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).
-
'I don't want to stop riding and racing' - Joss Lowden on the tough decision to retire
37-year-old is eyeing up gravel, track and time trial options after final professional road race
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tech of the Week: Rapha's Shakedry alternative, Lapierre's carbon Crosshill gravel muncher, Bianchi Oltre gets colourful and Spesh's supernaturally powered Vado
Lots for you this week, from Rapha's environmentally-friendly laminate rain jacket, to a super-lightweight Vado e-bike from Specialized
By Luke Friend Published
-
Bradley Wiggins joins Lance Armstrong for Tour de France podcast
The former Tour de France winner will be appearing on The Move for the next week
By Adam Becket Published
-
Anti-doping investigation reveals riders could still be manipulating the system to avoid detection
Full report from Operación Ilex reveals that lack of overnight and weekend lab testing in Spain makes performance enhancing drugs increasingly difficult to detect
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Lance Armstrong plays astronaut on reality TV show; does he have the right stuff to win?
Lance Armstrong, the disgraced pro cyclist, is one of 12 celebs competing for the title ‘brightest star in the galaxy’ on Fox' Stars on Mars
By Greg Kaplan Published
-
Eight of the best cycling films streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and iPlayer
The best cycling-related films and documentaries available to watch online
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
F1 star Valtteri Bottas spotted out riding with Lance Armstrong
Alfa Romeo driver joined controversial American for Colorado spin on Sunday
By Adam Becket Published
-
'I think doping might actually be more popular': Mixed reviews as Lance Armstrong gets into the NFT game
If there's one thing worth reading this weekend, it's the replies to Lance Armstrong's tweet about acquiring an NFT
By Jonny Long Published
-
'I was almost dead': Jan Ullrich speaks out on his recovery on Lance Armstrong's podcast
The former Tour de France winner spoke about how finding friends in Armstrong and others after re-adopting a healthy lifestyle
By Tim Bonville-Ginn Published
-
Seven things we learnt from the new Lance Armstrong documentary
The 48-year-old sheds new light on the biggest doping scandal in sporting history, and is as combative as ever
By Jonny Long Published