US judge rejects Armstrong's bid to dismiss federal lawsuit

A US judge has rejected disgraced former American cyclist Lance Armstrong's bid to dismiss a federal lawsuit claiming that his US Postal team defrauded the government of sponsorship money while doping.

Armstrong is being sued for money that the US Postal received from 1998 to 2004 after complaints were brought by the US government and the disgraced cyclist's former teammate Floyd Landis.

According to The BBC, Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles before admitting that he took performance-enhancing drugs, was banned for life by the United States Anti-Doping Agency in August 2012.

The US Justice Department, which paid Armstrong's team about 40 million dollars through its postal service sponsorship, joined the 2010 whistleblowing lawsuit filed by former US Postal rider Landis, who himself admitted that he used drugs throughout his career.