Richard Simmons' Enquirer Lawsuit May Cost Him More than $220k

Richard Simmons just got the tab for the National Enquirer lawsuit -- which he lost -- and it could set him back well over $200,000 ... TMZ has learned.

National Enquirer, and its parent company American Media, just filed docs detailing how much their attorneys charged for the defamation case, and they say the grand total exceeds $221,888 ... as of October 29.

You'll recall, Richard sued the tabloid, claiming it defamed him with a story saying he was transitioning to becoming a woman. When the court ruled in favor of the Enquirer ... Richard was ordered to pay their attorney's fees.

The highest bill for one lawyer was just under $50k for services rendered over 95 hours. The lowest tab was $600 to a paralegal who put in 2 hours of work. Not too shabby.

Of course, he also has to pay HIS attorneys. We broke the story, Richard plans to appeal ... which will cost him even more dough.