SETTLEMENT ALLOWS SUIT TO FOCUS ON ARMSTRONG

Former cyclist Floyd Landis has reached a $158,000 settlement with Lance Armstrong ’s longtime agent and business partner to dismiss them from the $100 million lawsuit filed by Landis on behalf of the United States government. U.S. District Judge Christopher

Cooper signed off on the agreement Wednesday, ordering the dismissal of Bill Stapleton, Armstrong ’s longtime agent, and

Barton Knaggs, Armstrong ’s longtime business partner. Their dismissal clears the deck for Landis and the federal government to go after Armstrong alone in a trial scheduled for November in Washington, D.C. “Suffice it say, the settlement was reasonable under all the circumstances,” Landis’ attorney, Paul Scott, told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. “It allows us to focus our efforts and attention now on the upcoming trial of the central responsible party in the case.” In exchange for being dismissed from the case, Stapleton, Knaggs and their company, Capital Sports & Entertainment, will pay $68,000 to the federal government and $90,000 to the law firm of Scott. The dispute goes back to 2010, when Landis filed a complaint against Armstrong, Stapleton and Knaggs in federal court, accusing them of ripping off the U.S. Postal Service as part of a sponsorship deal with Armstrong ’s cycling team. The federal government joined Landis’ case in 2013 and is working with Landis as a government whistleblower against Armstrong. Under the False Claims Act, Armstrong could be on the hook for triple the $32.3 million paid by the Postal Service for his team’s sponsorship from 2000 to 2004 — nearly $100 million.