(Updated April 3) A former aide to Lance Armstrong claims he found a banned substance in the cyclist's Girona, Spain, apartment in early 2004, according to court papers filed in Austin on Thursday.
An Associated Press story reports that Armstrong and the aide, Mike Anderson, are involved in a lawsuit surrounding the aide's dismissal last fall. Armstrong and his personal service company filed a lawsuit against Anderson in November, claiming that Anderson demanded $500,000 in severance pay and endorsements to set up a bike shop.
In a countersuit, Anderson accused Armstrong of fraud, breach of contract, and causing emotional distress. He filed the documents Thursday to support his countersuit. Anderson believes Armstrong knew he had found the drugs, as their relationship soured soon afterward and several months later he was fired.
(On Friday, Armstrong filed court documents citing Anderson's claims as “below the level of tabloid journalism.” The Mike Anderson court filing against Armstrong is available online.)
While cleaning Armstrong's apartment in Girona, Anderson said, he found a standard prescription box, but with no prescription attached. The word “androstenine” was written on the box; Anderson checked a website and discovered it was an androgen, a banned substance.
Armstrong's attorney rejects the allegations, and Armstrong all along has said that he did not and does not take performance-enhancing drugs.
Another former aide to Armstrong played prominently in doping allegations against the Tour de France champion last year. In the book “LA Confidential, The Secrets of Lance Armstrong,” Emma O'Reilly claims Armstrong sent her out to pick up drugs and get rid of used syringes. Armstrong is suing the authors of the book, but French prosecutors have begun a probe into the allegations.
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