ST. PAUL — The state auditor has run up a $100,000 legal tab as she considers suing to overturn a new audit privatization law, according to a press release.

Minnesota lawmakers passed a measure this spring allowing counties to outsource financial audits to private companies. State Auditor Rebecca Otto has been a fierce critic of the law since it was passed this spring, calling it an unconstitutional intrusion into her office’s duties.

Otto released invoices Tuesday showing her office had paid Minneapolis law firm Fredrikson and Byron more than $106,000 from June through September. The auditor said litigation is still an option.

Republican lawmakers have criticized Otto for fighting the law. They said the new measure helps counties save money.

Acccording to a press release GOP Rep. Sarah Anderson calls Otto’s legal bill “an affront to Minnesota taxpayers.”