Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Why I Think Lance Armstrong Is Still Lying--The Crucial Lesson You Must Learn

I think Lance Armstrong is still lying.  I'm not the only one.  If you watched the excellent "60 Minutes" Armstrong segment last Sunday, you saw Travis Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, explain to interviewer Scott Pelley how and why he thinks Armstrong lied to Oprah:

Scott Pelley: Armstrong admitted in the [Oprah] interview to doping throughout his seven Tour de France victories. He tried to make a comeback in 2009. He admitted the first seven, but those last two races in '09 and 2010 he said he did not dope, he was racing clean.


Travis Tygart: Just contrary to the evidence. The evidence is clear. His blood tests in 2009, 2010, expert reports based on the variation of his blood values from those tests, one to a million chance that it was due to something other than doping.


Scott Pelley: You have to wonder why if he admits to doping in the first seven Tour de France races, why he would proclaim his innocence in 2009 and 2010.


Travis Tygart: I think it stops the criminal conspiracy and protects him and the others that helped him pull off this scheme from potential criminal prosecution if that was in fact true.


Scott Pelley: How does that help him in that way?

Travis Tygart: There's a five-year statute on a fraud criminal charge. So the five years today would have been expired. However, if the last point of his doping as we alleged and proved in our reasoned decision was in 2010, then the statute has not yet expired and he potentially could be charged with a criminal violation for conspiracy to defraud.

The statute Tygart's referring to is the statute of limitations, which is a federal or state law that restricts the time within which legal proceedings may be brought.  

The crucial lesson for you is this.  If you think you have a claim against somebody, the clock may be ticking on how long you have to assert your claim.  If you wait too long, you may forever lose your rights and remedies.  The law does not reward plaintiffs who sleep on their rights.  

Additionally, there are sound, practical reasons why you should pursue your claim sooner rather than later.  As time passes, evidence disappears, memories fade, parties move, all of which can increase your cost of getting your desired outcome.

To make matters worse, different legal claims may have different statutes of limitation.  Some claims must be brought within one year of the date you discovered or reasonably should have discovered you were wronged.  Others give you as long as four years.  There are different statutes under federal law and every state has its own unique statutes of limitations.

If you even suspect you may have a claim against somebody, odds are that your legal clock has already started ticking.  If you don't already have a lawyer and you're a California resident, call me ASAP at 800-553-7626.  I'll pay for the call and the consultation.  I will tell you whether you have a claim and, if so, when your filing deadline expires. To visit our law firm website, click here.

Who do you know who has been complaining to you about how they were taken advantage of?  Forward this e-mail to them.  They will thank you.






No comments:

Post a Comment