• Cycling

Armstrong avoids deposition by settling $3m lawsuit

ESPN staff
November 20, 2013
Lance Armstrong faces a federal whistleblower lawsuit from former teammate Floyd Landis © Getty Images
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Lance Armstrong has narrowly avoided testifying under oath about his doping practices after settling with an insurance company over bonuses paid to him during three of his now-disqualified Tour de France wins.

Just a day before a scheduled deposition, Armstrong's attorney Tim Herman told USA Today the case was "resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties." Acceptance Insurance Holdings had sought $3 million in bonus money paid to the American for his 1999, 2000 and 2001 victories.

Earlier this year Armstrong's attorneys unsuccessfully attempted to have the suit thrown out on grounds of the statute of limitations expiring in 2011. However a Texas judge ruled that the statute of limitations began when Armstrong admitted to doping in an interview with TV host Oprah Winfrey in January.

Betsy Andreu, a key witness against Armstrong and the wife of the American's former US Postal teammate Frankie Andreu, admitted her frustration that he managed to avoid Thursday's deposition.

"This gets him out of doing what he fears the most, which is going under oath," Betsy Andreu said. "He has never answered the questions in depth. He's always skirted."

Armstrong still faces several legal battles. He is the subject of a federal whistleblower lawsuit by former US Postal teammate Floyd Landis.

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