President Donald Trump waves to people from a balcony after holding a press conference during the presidential election at the Trump National Golf Club Jupiter on March 8, 2016, in Jupiter, Florida. | Getty Trump loses suit over golf club memberships Judge orders president's Jupiter, Fla. country club to pay nearly $6 million to members who tried to resign.

A federal judge has ordered a golf club owned by President Donald Trump to refund nearly $6 million to members who said Trump's team essentially confiscated refundable deposits after taking over the country club in 2012

U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra ruled that the Trump National Jupiter Golf Club violated the contracts with members by retaining the fees and locking out many members who had declared their plans to resign.


"The Court concludes that the Plan documents, as properly interpreted, were intended to provide club members of the resignation list with a continuing right to use the Club facilities until their membership was reissued to a new member, provided the club member was otherwise in good standing with the Club," Marra wrote in a 21-page decision issued Wednesday.

Trump is not personally a defendant in the case, but he did sit for a deposition last year that was played at a bench trial in the case last August. Trump's son Eric testified live at the trial.

"I have never been more confident after trying a case that this would be the result," said Brad Edwards, a lawyer for the ex-members. "To me, it was just a matter of time before this verdict came but I'm glad we got it."

The judge ordered the Trump club to pay over $4.8 million in damages and nearly $1 million in interest.

"It's the entire amount we asked for—to the dollar," Edwards said. "They created their own contorted reading of a contract that allowed them to avoid the refundability of the deposits."

A lawyer for the Trump Organization, Alan Garten, said an appeal is planned.

"The members who resigned were all members under Ritz-Carlton who resigned prior to Trump taking ownership. Trump purchased the club from Ritz and effectively saved it because it was in financial ruin. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we disagree with the judge's ruling and intend to appeal it," Garten told POLITICO.

Garten said much of the judge's ruling was based on a claim that the plaintiffs' "abandoned" earlier in the case.

In a footnote, the judge acknowledged Donald Trump's status as the nation's chief executive. "At all times relevant to this lawsuit, Donald J. Trump was a private citizen. As a result the Court will refer to him as such in this decision. In doing so, the Court means no disrespect to him or the esteemed position he now holds," wrote Marra, an appointee of President George W. Bush.

Trump has rebuffed calls to give up ownership of his businesses while he serves as president. Instead, he's transferred control of the companies to his adult sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.