Monday, January 21, 2013

Like many other bullies, Lance Armstrong sued a woman for defamation even though he knew she was telling the truth

Lance Armstrong may be sued by Emma O’Reilly, the former masseuse and assistant on the US Postal team
Emma O’Reilly, who was called an “alcoholic whore” by Lance Armstrong, is considering taking legal action against him.
By Brendan Gallagher
Telegraph
20 Jan 2013

O’Reilly, a masseuse and assistant on the US Postal team, suffered the verbal abuse from Armstrong and then the nightmare of a 2½-year lawsuit after she made the revelations about the disgraced cyclist in a 2004 book.

But although she is considering taking legal action against Armstrong, she said on Sunday she was also weighing up whether to show him the compassion he never offered her.

Her dilemma seems to demonstrate that of cycling generally. There is the desire to punish the man for his monstrous behaviour but, at the same time, also a hope that an olive branch will encourage him to tell the complete truth, providing the sport with information it badly needs.

“Sometimes in life you should stand up and be counted and women should not be spoken to, and spoken about in the way he did,” O’Reilly said on Sunday when asked about the legal action she might take...

People shouldn’t be able to speak about other people like that and get away with it. The libel laws in England did protect Lance and they didn’t protect the people telling the truth. That is something that has to be addressed...

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