Billionaire Leon Black is suing the House committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein

Leon Black has sued the House committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein rather than comply with subpoenas demanding documents and testimony about his dealings with the convicted sex offender.

The Apollo Global Management co-founder filed in federal court in Washington on Thursday, accusing the House Oversight Committee and its chairman James Comer of exceeding their constitutional authority. He had already declined to appear for a scheduled deposition.

At issue are non-disclosure agreements and other material relating to his relationship with Epstein. Black's lawyers argue the committee is demanding private information with no legitimate connection to any legislative purpose, and describe the investigation as an unlawful fishing expedition.

The confrontation began in June, when Black appeared before the committee voluntarily but refused to answer questions about certain NDAs. Lawmakers responded by issuing subpoenas requiring him to hand over the documents and return for a second interview. He is now asking a court to quash them.

The committee's position is that his testimony matters to its inquiry into how Epstein and his associates operated and how federal authorities handled the case. Comer has accused Black of avoiding the questions lawmakers consider central.

The financial relationship has been examined before. A review commissioned by Apollo found that Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for work on tax, estate and asset planning. A later investigation put the figure closer to $170 million. Black has said he knew nothing of Epstein's criminal conduct and has denied any involvement in abuse.

Those disclosures cost him his job. Black stepped down as chief executive and chairman of Apollo in 2021 after the payments became public. He retains a substantial stake in the firm, and Forbes valued his fortune at about $14.7 billion on Sept. 4.

The House panel has been widening its inquiry, seeking testimony and documents from several prominent figures as it examines how the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases were handled and whether powerful relationships helped Epstein avoid accountability for as long as he did.

Refusing to appear carries a risk. Lawmakers have discussed holding Black in contempt of Congress, which would move the dispute out of the civil courts and into a criminal referral.

What the case will settle is whether the committee can enforce its subpoenas at all, and that question reaches well beyond Black. A ruling in his favour would narrow what congressional investigators can demand from private citizens with no government role.