Schumacher, Holczer in court

Stefan Schumacher and Hans-Michael Holczer will soon be facing off in court. The rider has filed suit against his former Gerolsteiner team manager for wrongfully cancelling his contract after the announcement of his positive Tour de France doping control.

Michael Lehner, Schumacher's attorney, told the dpa press agency that he expected the Stuttgart Arbeitsgericht (labour court) to rule next month whether it would accept the case.

According to Lehner, Holczer did not have contracts with Schumacher and the other riders as independent contractors, but "normal work contracts", which would put the case in the labour court rather then the normal court.

A judge had already issued a recommended settlement to the two parties. Holczer has not yet made a public announcement and Lehner said he had rejected it.

In an interview in the Stuttgarter Zeitung, Lehner criticised Holczer's contracts with the riders. "That is very interesting, that an attorney first advises someone to sign a contract and later recognises [negative aspects]," Holczer responded.

Holczer added that all of contracts treated the riders as independent contractors, as compared to employees, at their own request, "which by the way is the general usage" in the other German teams.