IRISH JOURNALIST PAUL Kimmage has flatly refused the reconciliation terms sought by former UCI Hein Verbruggen at today’s preliminary court hearing of the defamation case in Switzerland.
Verbruggen, in charge of cycling’s world governing body from 1991 to 2005, has brought the case to court claiming defamation of his character by Kimmage’s writing.
Speaking to CyclingTips.Com today, Kimmage told Shane Stokes:
The judge brought us in, sat us down. He suggested a reconciliation but Verbruggen’s terms aren’t acceptable to me – He is demanding an apology and an assurance that I won’t write about him again.
“That wasn’t acceptable under any circumstances for me. That is where we are at now.”
Kimmage underlined that he intends to dig his heels in and win a case against an authority figure in the sport who, he says, ‘has been abusing people who stood up against doping for years’.
“It is war, basically, that is the bottom line. It is going to go on now and it is going to be a long and bloody battle. That is the bottom line,” the 53-year-old added.
“I do want to win this, I really do want to win this. It is very important.”
Read more from Kimmage on CyclingTips.com here>>
