Trump-Ally Rudy Giuliani Hit With $1.4M Lawsuit By His Own Lawyers Over Unpaid Legal Bills

Rudy Giuliani, one-time legal counsel to ex-President Donald Trump, is facing a lawsuit from his own lawyers for nearly $1.4 million over outstanding legal fees related to his efforts to reverse the 2020 election outcome.

What Happened: The law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron initiated legal proceedings against Giuliani on Monday in a Manhattan state court, Business Insider reported.

The lawsuit maintains that Giuliani pledged to settle over $1.5 million in legal costs under a retainer agreement but has only cleared $214,000 so far. Robert Costello, a partner at the Davidoff firm and a long-time friend and legal adviser to Giuliani, is also a party to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that Giuliani made a meager payment of $10,000 earlier this month, leaving an outstanding balance of $1,360,196. From 2019 until this summer, Costello represented Giuliani, providing him with legal advice on several investigations, including the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and attempts to reverse the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Why It Matters: This case further underlines Giuliani’s financial struggles. The former mayor of New York City has previously informed judges that he doesn’t have the means to pay fees for several cases.

Giuliani’s claims of financial strain have been a subject of controversy, given his refusal to disclose financial specifics. Earlier this month, he highlighted his potential sanctions for non-disclosure of financial documents following a federal judge’s ruling that he must pay $132,000 in legal costs to two defamed Georgia poll workers.

Recently, a fundraising event at Trump’s Bedminster golf club aimed at generating over $1 million for Giuliani's legal defense fund was organized for the former president’s legal counsel.

Photo by Gage Skidmore on Flickr

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