Rudy Giuliani sued by ex-lawyer, accused of failing to pay $1.36 million in legal fees

Rudy Giuliani’s former lawyer sued him Monday, alleging the former New York mayor paid only a fraction of the nearly $1.6 million in legal fees he racked up in connection with investigations into his efforts to keep Donald Trump in the White House.

Robert Costello and his law firm, Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP, claim Giuliani only paid them $214,000 and still has a $1.36 million tab. Giuliani’s last payment, according to the lawsuit, was $10,000 on September 14 — about a week after Trump hosted a $100,000-a-plate fundraiser for Giuliani at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Costello and the firm say Giuliani, once celebrated as “America’s Mayor” for his leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, violated their retainer agreement by failing to pay his bills in full on time. . They are demanding full payment of his unpaid invoices, as well as costs and fees resulting from their efforts to get him paid.

“I cannot express how personally hurt I am by what Bob Costello did,” Giuliani said Monday in a statement provided by his spokesperson. “It’s a shame when lawyers do things like this, and all I’ll say is that their bill far exceeds anything approaching a legitimate fee.

Monday’s trial is the latest sign of Giuliani’s growing financial pressure, exacerbated by costly investigations, lawsuits, fines, sanctions and damages related to his work helping Trump try to overturn the election. 2020 and other affairs.

Giuliani, Trump and 17 others were indicted last month in Georgia, accused by Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis of conspiring to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory. Giuliani, accused of being Trump’s main co-conspirator, has pleaded not guilty.

Costello, a partner at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, served as Giuliani’s attorney from November 2019 to July 2023. He represented Giuliani in cases ranging from an investigation into his business dealings in Ukraine, which culminated in an FBI raid at his home and office in April 2021., to state and federal investigations into his work following Trump’s 2020 election defeat.

Costello and his firm said in their lawsuit that they also represented Giuliani in various civil suits filed against him and in disciplinary proceedings that led to the suspension of his law licenses in Washington, D.C. and New York.

Giuliani’s son, Andrew, said last week that the Bedminster fundraiser is expected to raise more than $1 million for Giuliani’s legal fees and that Trump has pledged to hold a second event in his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, later in the fall or early winter.

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In the meantime, Giuliani tried to raise money in other ways.

In July, he listed his Manhattan apartment for $6.5 million. After his indictment, he directed his social media followers to his legal defense fund’s website. To save money, Giuliani represented himself in some legal disputes.

Last year, a judge threatened Giuliani with jail time in a dispute over money owed to Judith, his third ex-wife. Giuliani said he was making progress paying off the debt, which she said was more than $260,000.

In May, a woman who said she worked for Giuliani sued him, alleging he owed her nearly $2 million in unpaid wages and that he coerced her into having sex. Giuliani has denied the allegations.