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Landis decision likely in late September
A memo drafted by the head of the arbitration panel reviewing the Floyd Landis doping case suggests that a decision in the matter won’t be forthcoming until mid- to late-September.
Landis has been awaiting a ruling in the case since testing positive for testosterone at the 2006 Tour de France. The case was argued in a public hearing in May and a ruling had initially been expected prior to this year’s Tour.
According to the memo from panel chairman Patrice Brunet, the three-member panel has scheduled a closed September 12th hearing to review procedures employed by staff at France’s national anti-doping laboratory at Châtenay-Malabry.
The memo, obtained on Thursday by ESPN.com’s Bonnie D. Ford, notes that the chairman intends to formally close the hearing process after the September 12th meeting, meaning that the panel is required to issue a decision within 10 days.
"The panel remains acutely mindful of the timing issues in connection with this case; however, the Panel also needs to verify an important volume of technical information, which is at the very core of this arbitration," the memo stated.
The panel is slated to meet behind closed doors with Dr. Francesco Botre, the director of the WADA-accredited laboratory in Rome, to review that technical data. Attorneys for Landis built much of their case around alleged procedural discrepancies at the French lab, charging that staff violated their own rules in handling samples submitted by Landis after his stunning win in the 17th stage of the 2006 Tour.
Attorneys on both sides of the case were notified of the hearing and the ensuing schedule. Neither Travis Tygart, chief counsel for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, nor Landis attorneys Maurice Suh and Howard Jacobs will be present at the meeting of the panel.
Botre, who attended the May hearings, is slated to present his assessment of the technical evidence offered by both sides in the case.
Attorneys on both sides declined to comment about the memo or the date of any decision.
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