US government pursues Lance Armstrong’s medical records in sponsorship cash case

AS part of an on-going court case concerning Lance Armstrong’s sponsorship fees, the American federal government has requested copies of the shamed cyclist’s medical records concerning his treatment for testicular cancer.

The government is attempting to recover fees paid to Armstrong while the US Postal Service sponsored his teams from 1998 to 2004. 

A subpoena issued at the end of July to the Indiana University School of Medicine seeks to recover the records from Armstrong’s doctors, to establish whether they were aware that he was using performance-enhancing drugs at the time. 

The cyclist’s defence team has appealed for the subpoena to be blocked on privacy grounds, arguing that Armstrong has already confessed to using drugs, including prior to 1996. They claim the request is an attempt to harass the seven-time Tour de France winner, who has been stripped of his titles, and stretch out the process of the trial causing unnecessary expense.

Armstrong could face a bill for $100 million (€91.47 million).