LOS ANGELES -- Swimmer Jessica Hardy, whose failed drug test
cost her a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, has sued a nutritional
supplement company for not telling her its products allegedly
contained banned substances.
Hardy accused Advocare International of providing her products
that contained clenbuterol, a prohibited anabolic agent. The
21-year-old sprinter tested positive for the substance in July at
the Olympic trials, and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspended her
for two years.
The lawsuit claims Carrollton, Texas-based Advocare assured
Hardy its products did not contain banned substances. Hardy said
she regularly took two of the company's products during training
for the trials -- Arginine Extreme and Nighttime Recovery.
After testing positive, she hired Los Angeles-based Anti-Doping
Research to test the Advocare products and found both contained
clenbuterol, the lawsuit said.
A message left with an Advocare spokeswoman was not immediately
returned Friday.
Hardy's attorney Howard Jacobs has said the swimmer did not
knowingly take any banned substances and will seek to have her
suspension reduced by presenting evidence to an arbitration panel.
The lawsuit, filed Jan. 22 in Los Angeles County Superior Court,
said an arbitration hearing was scheduled for late this month with
the Anti-Doping Agency.
Messages left with Hardy, her attorney and the agency were not
immediately returned.