Leon Black sues House committee over Epstein subpoenas

Billionaire investor Leon Black sued the House Oversight Committee on Thursday rather than appear for a scheduled deposition in its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, escalating a fight over congressional demands for testimony and documents related to nondisclosure agreements.

Black, a co-founder of Apollo Global Management and former close associate of Epstein, filed the lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., after the committee subpoenaed him to return for a sworn, videotaped deposition and to produce information about NDAs. The subpoenas followed a June voluntary appearance that ended abruptly when Black refused to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements.

In the lawsuit, Black argues the subpoenas are invalid because they have “no legitimate connection” to the committee’s legislative purpose. He also says producing the agreements would “expose women who value their privacy, who have no known or public connection to Epstein, who bargained for confidentiality and have refused to release it.”

Susan Estrich, an attorney for Black, said in a statement that the committee “is on a fishing expedition.”

“This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black. We were left with no choice but to file this lawsuit in response to an abuse of Congressional power,” Estrich said.

Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the committee, said after Black’s June appearance that he wanted to know whether Epstein was involved in any of Black’s NDA negotiations. Comer had threatened to hold Black in contempt if he failed to fully cooperate with the panel’s inquiry.

Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the committee’s ranking Democrat, called Thursday for Black to be held in contempt, saying Black was “defying two Congressional subpoenas.” Garcia also accused Black of having “funded Epstein’s abuse and trafficking of women.”

More than a dozen survivors of abuse by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell had urged Black in a letter released Wednesday to appear before the committee and comply with the subpoenas.

“We are survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse and exploitation, and we are calling on Leon Black to appear as required before the House oversight committee on Thursday,” the statement said. “We are also calling on Black to fully comply with the committee’s subpoenas, including its demand that he produce all responsive nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in his possession.”

The survivors said Black’s use of NDAs was a reason for congressional scrutiny and said Congress should “use every tool available to enforce its subpoenas” if he continues to withhold records or refuses to comply.

Black employed Epstein as a wealth management adviser and has said he paid him $158 million for his work. The Guardian reported that Black has described the work as tax and estate-planning services. Black has said he first met Epstein in the 1990s and began paying him for wealth management advice in 2013.

In his June statement to the committee, Black denied knowing about Epstein’s crimes, writing, “I did not know about this nefarious activity until Epstein was charged with trafficking in July 2019.” He acknowledged, however, that he knew Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 “to state charges relating to prostitution involving a minor.”

Emails released by the committee last year show Epstein was aware of at least one NDA negotiation involving Black. In 2015, as Black was in a dispute with a former Russian model with whom he had a six-year affair, Epstein advised him by email to consider hiring former law enforcement officers to approach her.

Black has said he regrets employing Epstein and described him as a liar who misled him and others. He is among several billionaires and prominent figures who have testified before the House Oversight Committee as part of its Epstein investigation.