Lance Armstrong to head to court in US$100 million lawsuit

A judge on Monday cleared the way for the doping-disgraced cycling icon Lance Armstrong to go to court, saying the US authorities’ allegations against him merited trial.

The US Justice Department is seeking nearly $100 million in damages from Armstrong, charging that he cheated the government when the US Postal Service sponsored the team he led.

The decision by US District Judge Christopher Cooper, in Washington, DC, comes as a major blow to Armstrong, who had requested the case be thrown out. He claims the lawsuits were unfounded and that the US Postal Service benefited from his lucrative sponsorship deal.

Cooper overruled that argument in his 37-page decision, arguing that the issue of injury suffered by the United States must be decided by a jury.

The US Postal Service paid more than $32 million to Tailwind Sports Corporation, the now-defunct Lance Armstrong cycling team.