Lance Armstrong set to face £80m lawsuit

A federal judge in the US has cleared the way for the government to seek $100 million (£80m) in damages from former cyclist Lance Armstrong.

The decision was delivered by District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington on Monday, almost seven years after the case was filed.

The trial is likely to be heard in front of a jury.

Mr Armstrong's former US Postal Service teammate, Floyd Landis, could collect up to 25% after he filed the initial lawsuit.

Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles, before he was stripped. Credit: AP

The government joined the case in 2013 after the seven-time Tour de France winner admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.

He was stripped of those titles and banned from future competition.

Mr Armstrong tried to get the lawsuit dismissed, arguing the team sponsorship was worth far more to the Postal Service than the $32 million (£25m) it paid from 2000 to 2004.