Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer of US President Donald Trump, is suing the Trump Organisation, accusing it of failing to reimburse him for legal fees he incurred on matters arising from his work on its behalf.
In a complaint filed in a New York state court in Manhattan on Thursday, Cohen said the Trump Organisation breached its obligations to indemnify him after it became clear he would co-operate in investigations into his work, including Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian influence in the 2016 US presidential election.
The Trump Organisation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Cohen said the organisation has refused to pay any of his legal fees or costs since May 2018, and owed him about $US1.9 million ($A2.7 million) as of January 25, 2019.
He also said the organisation is also responsible for another $US1.9 million he owes as part of his criminal sentence.
Cohen was sentenced in December to three years in prison after pleading guilty to federal campaign finance violations, including over "hush money" payments to two women who said they had sexual encounters with Trump.
The president has denied their claims.
Russia had denied interfering in the 2016 election. Trump has said there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow, and has labelled the Mueller probe a "witch hunt".
