The legal battle between Lance Armstrong and the United States Postal Service (USPS) has reached a pivotal point, with a report saying a ruling is expected soon on whether the case will proceed to trial or be thrown out at the summary judgment stage. In its claim, the government claims that USPS paid $32.3 million to sponsor Armstrong’s team, and also paid Armstrong $17 million while spending almost $40 million appearing as the main title sponsor on several of Armstrong’s teams. The government is seeking treble damages under the False Claims Act, meaning Armstrong could potentially be held liable for over $100 million in damages.
Armstrong’s attorneys, however, have rebuked this damages assertion. Elliot Peters stated that “[t]he undisputed evidence, developed over years of intensive discovery, establishes that the government’s damages claims cannot survive.” Additionally, in response to the government’s claim that the sponsorship of Armstrong’s teams was worthless, Peters cited reports commissioned by the USPS he claims establish that it received “at least $165 million in domestic and international media exposure as a result of the cycling team sponsorship between 2001 and 2004.”
The suit between USPS and Armstrong has not been wanting in contentiousness, with the government’s legal team calling Armstrong a “doper, dealer, and liar.” However, depending on how the judge rules on these motions, it could be nearing its end. Nevertheless, it has been pointed out that because Armstrong admitted to doping publicly and received money from USPS he would not have otherwise received, the summary judgment filing is not likely to be taken seriously.
