Former White House senior adviser Steve Bannon has been ordered by a judge to pay a team of lawyers more than $480,000 in unpaid legal fees.
New York Supreme Court Judge Arlene Bluth ruled on Friday, July 7, in favor of law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron after they filed a lawsuit against the top Donald Trump ally for breach of contract related to several cases.
The firm represented Bannon in the criminal case stemming from his refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena, as well as on the ongoing inquiry into allegations he defrauded thousands of people to the tune of $15 million who had donated to a "We Build the Wall" fundraising campaign.
In her ruling, Bluth said that Bannon must now pay Davidoff Hutcher & Citron a total of $480,487.87 in unpaid retainer fees, as well as fees touted to the lawsuit which the firm launched against him.
In February, Davidoff Hutcher & Citron sued Bannon claiming breach of contract, arguing he had not paid them for legal services they had provided between November 2020 to November 2022.
During this time, Bannon only paid $375,000 out of the more than $850,000 billed by Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, LLC, according to the firm.
In his defense, Bannon argued that he had informed the firm to stop working on his behalf in January 2022 and that Davidoff Hutcher & Citron performed "work on matters unrelated to the subject matter" of the retainer agreement, Bluth's ruling states.
Bluth rejected Bannon's argument that he stopped paying legal fees to the firm because one of the lawyers who represented him, Robert Costello, may be called as a witness in the congressional subpoena trial.
Bannon was found guilty of contempt of Congress and refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack in July 2022.
"As plaintiff pointed out, Mr. Costello filed a notice of withdrawal in that case in July 2022, well after the time defendant allegedly told plaintiff to stop representing him," Bluth wrote. "Nor did defendant adequately explain how the fact that an attorney might be called as a witness is a valid defense to not paying legal bills."
Bannon was sentenced to four months in jail in November 2022 after being found guilty of contempt of Congress for defying the congressional subpoena. Bannon is currently appealing the sentence and has not served any custodial time.
In September 2022, Bannon was charged over money laundering allegations in relation to a GoFundMe to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Bannon was previously charged in an almost identical federal investigation before being pardoned by Trump. Davidoff Hutcher & Citron also claim they helped Bannon obtain the presidential pardon just before Trump left office in January 2021.
Manhattan prosecutors revived the investigation in September 2022 with state-level charges against Bannon, which aren't covered by presidential pardons.
Bannon has pleaded not guilty to several charges in connection to the investigation, including state money laundering, fraud and conspiracy, and is due to begin trial in May 2024.
Bannon's office has been contacted for comment via email.
