Lance’s legal batlle rages on

AUSTIN, Texas - Reuters

Lance Armstrong

Lawyers for retired cycling champ Lance Armstrong on July 10 refiled a lawsuit in a bid to stop the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) from proceeding with a case charging him with using drugs during the years he won the Tour de France.

A day earlier, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks dismissed Armstrong’s 80-page lawsuit as a “lengthy and bitter polemic,” but gave his lawyers up to 20 days to file an
amended complaint.

Armstrong faces a deadline on July 14 to either challenge the charges that he took performance-enhancing drugs, or accept sanctions that could strip him of his seven Tour de France titles if found guilty.
The USADA is a quasi-governmental agency created by Congress in 2000 and charges would be considered by its own arbitration process. Any penalties would be binding within the sport, but federal courts have the power to overrule the agency.

Lawyers for Armstrong contend that the USADA gathered evidence by threatening to ruin the careers of fellow cyclists who have agreed to testify against him.

Lawyers for Armstrong also argue that the USADA’s rules violate his right to a fair trial and that
the agency lacks proper jurisdiction to charge him.