German five-time Olympic speedskating champion Claudia Pechstein arrives at a Munich court January 15, 2015. A German court on Thursday allowed a lawsuit by Pechstein seeking damages from the International Skating Union over a doping ban to be heard, handing her a key win in her ongoing battle with the ISU. It is the first time a German civil court has allowed a case to be heard after the world's top sports court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), has ruled against it, setting a precedent for potential similar cases. REUTERS/Michael Dalder (GERMANY - Tags: SPORT SPEED SKATING CRIME LAW)