Rudy Giuliani sued by lawyer after being accused of not paying $1.36 million in legal fees

NEW YORK — 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 bill remaining. 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 his pledge by failing to pay bills in full on time. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan state court, seeks full payment of Giuliani’s unpaid bills, 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 that, 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.

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 has pleaded not guilty to charges that he acted as Trump’s main co-conspirator.

Costello, 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 on his home and office in April 2021, until state and federal investigations into his work following Trump’s 2020 election defeat.

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

Giuliani could face a hefty financial penalty after a judge held him accountable last month in a defamation lawsuit filed by two Georgia election officials who say he falsely accused them of fraud. The judge has already ordered Giuliani and his companies to pay more than $130,000 in legal fees for the women.

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.

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.