Edward left his job at Jeff Lewis Design in May, 3 months after he officially split from his former boss

Jeff Lewis Claims Ex Gage Edward ‘Could Be Working More and Doesn’t’ as Legal Fees Pile Up

Jeff Lewis says his legal fees are nearing six figures, amid his ongoing split from ex Gage Edward and custody battle over their 2-year-old daughter, Monroe.

The former Flipping Out star claimed on Tuesday’s episode of his SiriusXM show Jeff Lewis Live that he and Edward, from whom he split in February after 10 years together, have already spent a combined $80,000 on lawyers as they continue to negotiate a permanent custody arrangement for Monroe.

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“We are in this combined at $80,000. We have nothing in place. We don’t have a financial settlement, we have nothing. And we’re already at $80,000,” said Lewis, 49, who also noted their legal council costs “$550 to $650 an hour.”

“In the interest of my daughter, I continue to have no comment on the matter,” Edward told PEOPLE on Wednesday.

Image zoom Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Image zoom Jeff Lewis/Instagram

Lewis, whose company Jeff Lewis Design flips luxury homes in Los Angeles, also claimed that he has a higher income than his ex, adding that “he could be working more and doesn’t.”

Edward, 34, left his job at Jeff Lewis Design in May, 3 months after he officially split from his former boss. Despite moving out of their shared family home in January, he had continued in his role at the design firm. In February, sources close to the exes confirmed to PEOPLE that they were “continuing to work together at Jeff Lewis Design, and have been the entire time.”

Since then, Edward shared on Instagram that he’s working on new design projects of his own. His bio on the social media site lists that he is a “designer” and “entrepreneur.”

On Tuesday’s radio show, Lewis went on to air his concerns that “because there is a discrepancy in income . . . what’s going to happen is they’re going to ask for me to pay his attorneys fees.”

He continued, “My attorney said there’s a chance I’m going to have to pay a large portion of his attorney’s fees. So every time he picks up that phone and gets that attorney all riled up, I got to pay for it. It’s the most unfair situation.”

Image zoom Gage Edward/Instagram

The exes were scheduled to appear in private mediation before a judge on October 3, but decided to forgo the formal meeting and try to work things out on their own, a source tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“They have tried for two months now to negotiate custody since the original temporary order was put in place,” the insider said.

Image zoom Jeff Lewis/Instagram

Lewis has admitted in the past he has been at fault in their “ugly” legal battle, but notes that he’s not willing to pull any punches when it comes to Monroe.

“I did things too. You’d be surprised at home much I forgive and forget and move forward,” he said. “But when it comes to my kid, all bets are off.”

Monroe, who turns three this month, has also had a tumultuous few weeks. She was expelled from preschool over comments Lewis had made on his radio show. She’s now attending a new school, after Lewis said he made “a donation” to the institution.