The Sunday Times to sue Lance Armstrong for £1 million
The Sunday Times has confirmed it is to sue disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong for £1 million after he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and given a lifetime ban from the sport for doping.
In 2004, the newspaper paid Armstrong £300,000 in a libel settlement after they alleged he had cheated.
The newspaper is now demanding Armstrong return the payment after the US Anti-Doping Agency found the cyclist guilty of leading - what it called - "the most sophisticated drug-taking programme in sport", as well as paying interest and legal costs.
The Sunday Times first questioned Armstrong's sporting ability back in 1999 following his first Tour de France win. Five years later in 2004 the paper then published an article claiming it was right to question Armstrong's performance and that questions needed to be answered.
In 2006, the newspaper then settled with the cyclist following a ruling that deemed the article painted Armstrong as "a fraud, a cheat and a liar".
A letter issued by The Sunday Times to Armstrong's lawyers states: "It is clear that the proceedings [in 2004] were baseless and fraudulent. Your representations that you had never taken performance-enhancing drugs were deliberately false".