Armstrong gets a jolt as suit dismissed
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, July 11, 2012
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Lance Armstrong sits at the starting line in Visalia during the Amgen Tour of California in this May 20, 2010 file photo. [Photo/Agencies] |
A federal judge handed Lance Armstrong a quick setback on Monday as he went to court to save his seven Tour de France titles and his reputation as one of the greatest cyclists ever.
Armstrong filed a lawsuit aimed at preventing the US Anti-Doping Agency from moving ahead with charges that he used performance-enhancing drugs throughout much of his long career. But US District Court Judge Sam Sparks dismissed the 80-page complaint. He said it seemed more intended to whip up public opinion in Armstrong's favor than focus on the legal argument.
"This Court is not inclined to indulge Armstrong's desire for publicity, self-aggrandizement or vilification of Defendants, by sifting through eighty mostly unnecessary pages in search of the few kernels of factual material relevant to his claims," Sparks wrote.
The suit claimed USADA rules violate athletes' constitutional right to a fair trial, and that the agency doesn't have jurisdiction in Armstrong's case. It also accuses USADA's chief executive, Travis Tygart, of waging a personal vendetta against him.
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