We are being sued by an attorney for fees, but we never signed any contracts/agreements?

We consulted with an attorney regarding a problem we were having. At the consultation he told us that he would speak to the other party "as a friend" because they were acquaintances. We never signed any type of contract or engagement letter saying he was representing us or what any fees would be. He also never discussed this with us. After only a couple of weeks, he said he would not help us further and was billing us. We sent, essentially, a cease and desist letter telling him not to contact us further and that we owed him nothing because he was never truly representing us. Now he is suing us for the fees. Can he do this?