Key takeaways:
- Black alleges Garcia falsely said he was at the center of Epstein’s crimes and directly involved in his trafficking network.
- Black did not appear for a subpoenaed September deposition and is contesting the committee’s subpoenas in a separate lawsuit.
- The House approved a contempt referral against Black, but no contempt charges had been filed as of Nov. 5.
Billionaire Leon Black sued Rep. Robert Garcia for defamation Wednesday, accusing the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee of falsely linking him to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking crimes. The lawsuit comes as Black faces a contempt referral over his refusal to comply with subpoenas in the committee’s Epstein investigation.
Black filed the suit in federal court in New York, seeking $7.5 million in damages, according to The Guardian. It alleges that Garcia “has knowingly and willfully lied about Leon Black and defamed him,” citing television comments in which Garcia said Black was “at the center” of Epstein’s crimes and “directly involved” in his trafficking network.
According to the lawsuit, Garcia said after Black appeared before the committee in June that “Leon Black is at the center of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.” It also cites a later television appearance in which Garcia said he had spoken to survivors who “credibly named Leon Black” as involved in the abuse of women and Epstein’s trafficking network. Black says the statements are false and have caused him “real and significant ongoing harm.”
Garcia’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. In September, responding to an earlier suit Black filed against the committee, Garcia said Black had “funded Epstein’s abuse and trafficking of women.” He added: “Multiple women have also accused Black of sexual assault. His connections to Epstein and his unwillingness to cooperate are unacceptable.”
A spokesperson for Black rejected those allegations Wednesday, saying Black “has never abused a woman; he has never been with an underage woman; he has never been involved with sex trafficking; and, he never paid Epstein for women.” Black has repeatedly denied wrongdoing related to Epstein and said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
Black, a former private equity investor and co-founder of Apollo Global Management, had a business relationship with Epstein. The Guardian reported that The New York Times put Black’s payments to Epstein at $170 million from 2013 to 2017 for what Black described as tax and estate planning services. Black stepped down from Apollo in 2021 after an independent review of his ties to Epstein found he was not involved in Epstein’s criminal activities.
Black appeared for a voluntary, closed-door interview with the committee in June, but it ended before lawmakers had finished questioning him. Lawmakers from both parties said he refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements. The Republican-led committee then subpoenaed him to return for a deposition and to produce agreements it sought, but he did not appear for the scheduled September deposition or provide all the requested documents.
Black sued the committee and its chair, Republican James Comer, arguing that the subpoenas were invalid and exceeded the committee’s authority. He also argued that producing the agreements would expose women who value their privacy and have no known or public connection to Epstein. That case remains in litigation.
The committee unanimously voted in September to hold Black in contempt, and the House later approved the contempt referral. The Justice Department said its U.S. attorney’s office in Washington would review it carefully, according to Reuters. As of Nov. 5, no contempt charges had been filed against Black, The Guardian reported.
Garcia is poised to become the committee’s chair in January. At a Wednesday news conference, he said Epstein would remain among the panel’s priorities.
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