Info. on Reynolds lawsuit
Track and Field News - 12/1/1992
Reynolds Back In Court
by T&FN
With the IAAF refusing to participate in the proceedings, a federal judge has heard evidence from Butch Reynolds' lawyers and witnesses including hurdler Renaldo Nehemiah in a $39.5 million lawsuit by the 400 WR holder against track's international governing body.
Reynolds' suit stems from his claim that he is innocent of steroid use and that the 2-year suspension levied by the IAAF for an alleged positive steroid test in August of 1990 should not have been applied.
After Reynolds succeeded through federal court intervention in gaining entrance to the Olympic Trials-where he finished 5th-the IAAF extended his ban through the end of this year, alleging he had "damaged the image" of track & field.
The governing body's refusal to participate in Reynolds suit, for $4.5 million in lost income and $35 million in punitive damages, is based on its position that national court systems have no jurisdiction over its affairs.
Reynolds lawyers say that should the runner win his suit, he will be able to collect on the judgment even though the IAAF is based outside the United States.
Presumably the U.S. court system could garnish contractual payments by U.S. firms which do business with the IAAF. Eventually, and almost certainly by the Atlanta Olympics, IAAF officials and assets will enter the U.S.
"I'm very pessimistic when it comes to the IAAF," Reynolds said. "I'll only trust them as far as I can see them. They have turned my life into a living hell. "I've gone two years without an income and anyone who doesn't have an income for two years is going to be in trouble financially."