The Sunday Times has reached a settlement with Lance Armstrong, according to what is described as “a mutually acceptable final resolution” by the newspapers sports editor Alex Butler.
The Sunday Times had launched legal action against the disgraced American cyclist seeking to recover damages and costs relating to his libel claim, settled in 2006. In 2004, the paper printed an article written by then deputy sports editor Alan English, based on chief sports writer David Walsh’s co-authored book, “LA Confidential,” containing allegations about Armstrong and performance-enhancing drugs.
Armstrong sought damages from the Sunday Times, Walsh and English. The suit was settled out of court after London’s High Court ruled that the article “meant accusation of guilt and not simply reasonable grounds to suspect.”
Last year, following a lengthy investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Armstrong finally confessed to doping throughout the period when he won a record seven Tour de France titles. He was subsequently stripped of those titles and all other results and handed a life ban.
In December, the Sunday Times launched an action to recover the 300,000 Pound Sterling (about U.S. $467,000 or 349,000 Euros) settlement paid to Armstrong in the original legal case, plus more than 720,000 Pounds (about U.S. $ 1.121 million or 838,000 Euros) in costs.
An article by Butler confirmed: “Last night The Sunday Times announced that it, Walsh and English had ‘reached a mutually acceptable final resolution to all claims against Lance Armstrong related to the 2012 High Court proceedings and are entirely happy with the agreed settlement, the terms of which remain confidential.’”
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl Heinz-Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Heinz-Huba.