Bruyneel was ordered to pay US government $1.2m in Lance Armstrong case that goes back 14 years. He was accused of unjust enrichment at the expense of the US Postal Service.
“Here, the government has substantiated that Bruyneel unjustly received $1,228,700 in benefits,” said Judge Christopher Cooper. “The Court will thus enter judgment for the government against Bruyneel on its unjust enrichment claim and award it $1,228,700 in restitution.” He was additionally ordered to pay $369,000 for 41 civil penalties for claims by the now defunct Tailwind.
“The Court by no means sanctions the defaulting defendants’ conduct,” said Cooper, “but the circumstances here do not rise to the degree warranting the maximum level of civil penalties.”
Bruyneel and Tailwind, which no longer exists, stopped responding to the lawsuit in 2014, four years after it was opened. Bruyneel withdrew his representatives, which the US government interpreted as an admission to its complaints by default. Johan Bruyneel is currently serving a 10-year ban from the sport,appears unlikely to pay the sum, given he resides outside the US.
Per USA Today: The rulings against Bruyneel could affect any assets he has in the USA, but it’s not clear these civil default judgments will ever be enforced on him as a Belgian national living in Europe. It could only be against any assets he has or brings into the US.
Landis argued that Bruyneel should have to pay more but the judge ruled against Landis who still stands to gain financially from this.
This is the end of this whistleblower lawsuit.
