Another Lance Armstrong defamation case is making headlines. This time, UK-based newspaper, The London Sunday Times, is considering a suit against the famous cyclist to recoup monies lost in a 2006 libel lawsuit.

Doping Scandal Legal Woes

As you’ve surely heard by now, officials stripped the Tour de France champ of his wins on account of an “overwhelming” amount of evidence that Armstrong doped and helped teammates dope.

The USADA verdict came after years of speculation that Armstrong’s “super human” abilities weren’t solely the result of hard work. During those years, several media outlets — including the Times — published reports that either blankly accused Armstrong of doping or strongly suggested dirty deeds.

Lance Armstrong Defamation Case Against David Walsh

In 2004, the Times published an article. It referenced a popular “anti-Armstrong” book entitled L.A. Confidential — Les Secrets de Lance Armstrong, co-written by David Walsh, a London Sunday Times reporter.

Armstrong sued for defamation over the article and won, because at the time, UK had the most plaintiff-friendly libel laws in the world. (The statutes have since been changed.)

USADA Report Revelations Lead To More Lance Armstrong Defamation Lawsuits

But eventually, the truth caught up with Armstrong. USADA published tomes of evidence and said the cyclist helped orchestrate one of “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.”

When the receipts dropped, a rash of Lance Armstrong defamation cases landed in court coffers. Parties that had previously lost libel suits against the athlete wanted their money back! The London Sunday Times, being one of those parties, is said to be “considering taking action to recover money spent on a libel case Armstrong brought and to pursue him for fraud.”

We’ll have to wait to see what tact the newspaper chooses in this sports defamation situation. In the meantime, Lance Armstrong has much bigger things to worry about, like not being re-upped as a Nike endorser and stepping down from Livestrong.