Geraldo Settles $30-Million Suit by Woman Filmed in TV Raid

Attorneys say they have settled out of court a $30-million lawsuit filed against television personality Geraldo Rivera by a woman who was arrested during a drug raid carried live on national television.

Terry Rouse, 32, of suburban Channelview filed the libel suit against Rivera in 1987 stemming from the Dec. 2, 1986, telecast of “American Vice: The Doping of a Nation.”

The settlement, involving an undisclosed amount of money, came after Rivera was questioned for six hours during a deposition hearing Thursday.

The lawsuit was scheduled to go to trial Aug. 20. State District Judge Ann Cochran on Thursday ordered Rivera to turn over a copy of his most recent financial data, but she also ordered that it remain confidential.

During the 1986 program, Rivera was broadcasting live outside a duplex where Rouse was staying when Harris County Sheriff Johnny Klevenhagen and several deputies raided the home. Rivera said that the people inside were an alleged pimp and prostitute who were supplying drugs to truckers.

Rouse was dragged from the duplex and handcuffed as an estimated 15 million viewers watched, she said in the lawsuit.

Rouse has maintained she was hired to paint the house, which belonged to a friend. Cocaine possession charges against her stemming from the televised bust were later dismissed.