Judge Throws Out Armstrong Lawsuit

Lance Armstrong's longshot lawsuit against the US Anti-Doping Agency was thrown out of court just hours after it was filed yesterday. A federal judge in Austin, Texas, Armstrong's hometown, blasted him for filing a lengthy lawsuit stuffed with irrelevant claims "included solely to increase media coverage of this case" and turn public opinion against the USADA, the New York Times reports. In the suit, Armstrong argued that the doping charges against him and other athletes were unconstitutional.

"This court is not inclined to indulge Armstrong's desire for publicity, self-aggrandizement, or vilification of defendants, by sifting through 80 mostly unnecessary pages in search of the few kernels of factual material relevant to his claims," the judge wrote, adding that "contrary to Armstrong's apparent belief," court filings are not "press releases, internet blogs, or pieces of investigative journalism." He gave Armstrong 20 days to refile the lawsuit without "any improper argument, rhetoric, or irrelevant material." (More Lance Armstrong stories.)