Libeskind sues Silverstein over $800,000 'genius fee'.

Just a week after ground was broken for the Freedom Tower, Daniel Libeskind, the chief architect for the project, has filed a lawsuit against developer Larry Silverstein.

Libeskind, who won an international competition to become the designer for the centerpiece of the World Trade Center and has received $2.25 million from New York's government for his work, is seeking an $843,750 design fee from Silverstein.

Things have been strained between the two for at least a year, since Larry Silverstein expressed concern about Libeskind's lack of experience in designing office buildings and brought his own architect, David Childs, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, to oversee the project.

Now, Libeskind is claiming Silverstein owes him money for collaborating with Childs.

It has been reported that Silverstein offered the architect $125,000 as a 'peace deal' and has suggested bringing in an outside mediator to resolve the dispute. But last week, the people at Silverstein Properties did not sound amused as they prepared to fight yet another lawsuit, in addition to their battle with the World Trade Center insurers over whether the terror attacks constituted two events or one.

"It has always been our desire to avoid a senseless courtroom fight," said an official statement from the company. "That being said, we fully expect to prevail. Daniel Libeskind has already been paid many millions of dollars for his work by the LMDC and the Port Authority and is unable to provide any industry standards timesheets or other documentation that would justify an additional payment of more than $800,000."

Libeskind's lawsuit comes at a time when Silverstein is already pressed for money, having lost the first round in his battle with the insurers and secured only $3.5 billion for a rebuilding project estimated to cost at least $7 billion.