The Texas State Supreme Court has dealt Lance Armstrong another blow in his bid to keep a firm from collecting $US12 million ($A13 million) it paid the disgraced cyclist in bonus money.
The court denied Armstrong's motion for temporary relief he had filed earlier this month in an effort to block SCA Promotions' attempt to recover money it paid him after an arbitration proceeding in 2006 as bonuses for his 2002, 2003 and 2004 Tour de France wins.
Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping and handed a life ban from the sport, eventually admitting last year that all seven of his Tour de France triumphs were fueled by banned performance-enhancing drugs.
Texas-based SCA had withheld a $US5 million ($A5.4 million) bonus it was scheduled to pay after Armstrong's sixth Tour de France win in 2004 because of doping allegations circulating in Europe.
Armstrong took SCA to court and won the case in arbitration. But since his ban and admission of doping, SCA has sought to recoup the money from Armstrong and the US Postal Service cycling team's parent company, Tailwind Sports, along with legal fees and interest.
Armstrong is scheduled to give a sworn deposition on June 12 in the case, and Friday's decision paves the way for that to go ahead.
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