Rudolph W. Giuliani’s former lawyer sued him on Monday, claiming he paid only a fraction of the nearly $1.6 million in legal fees incurred during investigations into his efforts to keep former President Trump in the White House.

Robert Costello and his law firm, Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP, say Giuliani paid them only $214,000 and still has a $1.36 million bill. Giuliani’s final payment was $10,000 on Thursday, according to the lawsuit, about a week after Trump hosted a $100,000-a-plate fundraiser for Giuliani at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J.

Costello and the company say Giuliani breached his retainer agreement by failing to pay invoices in full on a timely basis. The lawsuit, filed in state court in Manhattan, seeks full payment of Giuliani’s unpaid bills, as well as the costs and fees of their efforts to get him to pay.

“I cannot express how personally hurt I am by what Bob Costello did,” Giuliani said in a statement released by his spokesman on Monday. It’s a real shame when lawyers do this kind of thing, and all I can say is that their bill is grossly exaggerated [of] anything close to legitimate costs.

Monday’s lawsuit is the latest sign of Giuliani’s mounting financial pressure, compounded by costly investigations, lawsuits, fines, sanctions and damages related to his work to help Trump overturn the 2020 election.

Giuliani, Trump and 17 others were indicted in Georgia last month by Fulton County Dist. Atty. Fani Willis of plans to undermine President Biden’s election victory. Giuliani has denied guilt on charges that he acted as Trump’s chief co-conspirator.

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Costello was Giuliani’s attorney from November 2019 to July 2023. He represented Giuliani in matters including an investigation into his business dealings in Ukraine, which resulted in an FBI raid on his home and office in April 2021, and state and federal investigations into his work in Ukraine. the aftermath of Trump’s 2020 election loss.

Costello and his firm said in their lawsuit that they also helped represent Giuliani in several 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 huge financial penalty after a judge found him liable last month in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers 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 fundraiser in Bedminster was expected to raise more than $1 million for Giuliani’s legal bills and that Trump had promised to host a second event later at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach , Florida. in autumn or early winter.

Giuliani is avoiding jail over a dispute over payments to his ex-wife

Meanwhile, Giuliani is trying to raise money in other ways.

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

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

In May, a woman who said she worked for Giuliani sued him, claiming he owed her nearly $2 million in unpaid wages and forced her to have sex. Giuliani denied the allegations.