American billionaire Leon Black sues congressman for $7.25 million over Epstein claims

Leon Black, the American billionaire who co-founded private equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc., has sued U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia for defamation, claiming the California Democrat lied when he linked Black to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes in television interviews.

Black filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in federal court in Manhattan, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He is asking for a jury trial and $7.25 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The complaint says Garcia "knowingly and willfully lied about Leon Black and defamed him."

Garcia is the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, which has been investigating Epstein, the financier who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. With Democrats winning control of the House in Tuesday's midterm elections, Garcia is expected to become chairman of the committee in January.

Garcia's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the suit.

The statements at issue

The complaint centers on remarks Garcia made after Black appeared before the committee for a voluntary interview on June 26. Black told the panel that day that he had "no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, and took no part in them."

Black's lawyers say Garcia then went on national television and said that "Leon Black is at the center of Epstein's crimes." The suit also cites Garcia saying that Black "was one of the last people to actually interact with" Epstein before his death, that survivors had "credibly named Leon Black as someone who was involved in the direct abuse of women," that Black was "directly involved" in Epstein's trafficking and that he had "lied to the American people."

Black claims the statements are false, that Garcia knew they were false and that they were made with malice. The filing says Black has received threatening and hateful calls, emails and social media posts, that he fears for his physical safety, and that his business and philanthropic work have suffered. It says Epstein deceived Black, along with "numerous other sophisticated people," and that Black cut ties with him in October 2018.

A spokesperson for Black said he "has never abused a woman" and denied any involvement in sex trafficking or any payments to Epstein for women.

The Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause protects members of Congress from being sued over their legislative work, including what they say on the House floor and in committee. The Supreme Court ruled in 1979, in Hutchinson v. Proxmire, that the protection does not extend to statements a lawmaker makes outside Congress, such as press releases and newsletters. Black's suit is built on Garcia's television interviews.

Contempt of Congress

The lawsuit is the latest turn in a months-long fight between Black and the committee. Black left his June interview early, when he was asked about nondisclosure agreements, and later refused to sit for a deposition despite a subpoena. He sued the committee to block its subpoenas, and that case is still pending.

The Republican-led committee voted unanimously in September to hold Black in contempt, and the full House later did the same. The Justice Department said the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington would review the referral. Black has not been charged with any crime.

In a Sept. 3 statement calling for the contempt vote, Garcia said Black had given Epstein more than $180 million over six years and had "funded Epstein's abuse and trafficking of women." He also noted that several women have accused Black of sexual assault. "We must hold him in contempt immediately," Garcia said. Black has denied the assault allegations.

The Epstein payments

A review commissioned by Apollo and released in 2021 found that Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017, years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The review described the money as payment for "bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services" and found that Black was not involved in Epstein's criminal activities.

Black stepped down as Apollo's chief executive in 2021 and left the firm that year. In 2023, he paid $62.5 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands to be released from potential claims tied to Epstein, who owned a private island in the territory.

In his opening statement to the committee in June, Black said, "I knew Jekyll. I didn't know Hyde," and added, "I have never paid Epstein for access to women."

Black, 75, began his career at Drexel Burnham Lambert, where he ran the mergers and acquisitions group, and co-founded Apollo in 1990 with Marc Rowan, Josh Harris and Antony Ressler after Drexel collapsed. Much of his fortune comes from his remaining stake in Apollo. He is also one of the world's best-known art collectors, and in 2012 paid $119.9 million for a pastel version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream." He is worth about $13.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.