Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been ordered by New York Judge Arthur Engoron to pay the law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron (DHC) more than $1.36 million in unpaid legal fees, plus interest. The firm said the total bills for partner Robert Costello’s legal work amounted to $1.57 million. Giuliani previously paid $214,000, but stopped paying in 2023, according to the firm’s lawsuit.
Judge Engoron—best known for presiding over the controversial civil fraud case against Donald Trump’s business empire—rejected Giuliani’s arguments that he never agreed to pay the fees or didn’t receive the bills. Engoron noted that Giuliani had even written checks referencing the firm’s file and invoice numbers, undermining his claims.
This ruling adds to Giuliani’s mounting legal burdens from his efforts to defend former President Trump and expose alleged election irregularities following the 2020 election.
A Pattern of Politically Charged Investigations
Giuliani, once celebrated as “America’s Mayor” for his leadership after 9/11, has been the target of numerous investigations since working as Trump’s personal attorney. He represented Trump from November 2019 through July 2023 while fending off probes from:
- Congressional Democrats investigating Trump’s Ukraine dealings and post-election challenges.
- Special Counsel Jack Smith, who named Giuliani as an unindicted co-conspirator in the January 6th case against Trump. (That case was later dismissed after Trump’s 2024 election victory.)
- Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D), who charged Giuliani in her sprawling Georgia election case. Willis has since been disqualified from prosecuting the case and just lost her final appeal to stay on it.
- Arizona prosecutors, who brought charges related to the state’s 2020 alternate electors effort—this case remains ongoing.
Giuliani has consistently argued these prosecutions are politically motivated attempts to punish Trump allies and dissuade legal challenges to election practices.
Engoron’s History Raises Eyebrows on the Right
Judge Engoron’s role has drawn skepticism from conservatives, who see him as part of a pattern of partisan lawfare against Trump-world figures. Engoron previously levied a massive $500 million civil penalty against Trump’s real estate empire—an unprecedented punishment that was later wiped out on appeal just last month.
Now, Engoron’s decision against Giuliani forces him to pay DHC for years of legal defense work, plus accumulating interest since October 2023. Giuliani’s legal team has not yet said whether they will appeal.
Broader Legal and Financial Pressures
This ruling is just one of several financial pressures on Giuliani. He is also facing:
- A bankruptcy filing after losing a defamation suit brought by two Georgia election workers.
- Disbarment proceedings in New York and Washington, D.C. over his legal challenges to the 2020 election.
- Ongoing legal fees from multiple federal and state investigations.
Despite this, Giuliani has maintained that he acted within the law in his efforts to challenge election results and believes he will ultimately be vindicated.
