September 14/06 10:44 am - Landis Appeal Argument Revealed

Posted by Editoress on 09/14/06
 

Landis Appeal Argument Revealed

The London Telegraph has reported on the arguments Floyd Landis' lawyer Howard Jacobs will use to refute the abnormal testosterone readings Landis recorded after he won the 17th stage of the Tour de France; then going on to win the Tour.

Landis and his lawyer are claiming that the tests conducted on the A and B samples he provided after his stage win did not meet World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) criteria. They have three specific claims, according to the Telegraph:

Firstly, that three of the four testosterone tests in his sample were 'negative' within the margin of error normally applied by WADA protocol. Secondly, that the one test - out of four - which was indisputably positive, even accounting for margins of errors, could still have resulted from a laboratory error and was not necessarily the result of testosterone usage.

Finally, that the test which WADA consider to be the best indicator of long-term usage was negative in the urine sample provided by Landis.

In addition, Landis and his team refute the B test, claiming it is invalid because the sample number assigned to Landis' specimens does not match the results that were recorded.

If this last point can be proven, the testing procedure will be legally invalidated and the US Anti-Doping Agency will have no alternative but to exonerate Landis.

"I look forward to restoring my good name so that I can focus on my hip replacement and begin training for next season,'' Landis said. "I did not take testosterone, or any other performance-enhancing substance, and I'm very happy that the science is confirming my innocence.''