Leon Black Sues House Committee Over Epstein Probe

Leon Black is suing the House Oversight Committee probing his ties with Jeffrey Epstein and refusing to turn over some nondisclosure agreements, arguing the panel and its chair have overstepped their authority.

Black, the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, was scheduled to appear Thursday before the Oversight Committee for a second round of questioning. He won’t appear. Instead, he filed a lawsuit in federal court against the committee and its Republican chair, Rep. James Comer (R., Ky.).

“The Committee is on a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority,” one of Black’s lawyers, Susan Estrich, said in a statement. “This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black.”

In a statement, Comer said: “It’s a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people.” Comer said he would consult with members about next steps.

“By refusing to testify today, Leon Black is now defying two Congressional subpoenas,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D., Calif.), the top Democrat on the committee. “We must hold him in contempt immediately.”

The committee has been investigating the government’s handling of the Epstein case and questioning some of the sex offender’s associates. Black, who was one of Epstein’s biggest financial clients, has said he didn’t know about Epstein’s crimes, never abused a woman and wasn’t blackmailed by Epstein.

In June, Black appeared for questioning by the committee but the session was cut short when he left abruptly. The committee subpoenaed him to return for more questioning and to turn over nondisclosure agreements.

Republicans and Democrats said the subpoenas were the result of Black declining to answer some questions during his June interview, particularly about nondisclosure agreements. “We believe that information is vital to our investigation,” Comer said at the time. Black’s legal team called the subpoenas a political stunt.

Black’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, claims the subpoenas are invalid because they exceed the committee’s “delegated authority in seeking private information that bears no legitimate connection” to the committee’s legislative purpose.

In his lawsuit, Black said the committee overstepped its authority by asking Black about NDAs that weren’t related to Epstein. Black turned over one NDA he reached with a former girlfriend where Epstein played a consulting role, but declined to provide NDAs with other women.

The committee’s request 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, and who have no ability to protect themselves and their privacy before the Committee,” the suit states.

The lawsuit also cites Black being questioned about who in his social circle has NDAs as another example of the committee’s overreach. His lawyer, Estrich, said Black was willing to answer questions about his payments to Epstein but that Black and his legal team understood the committee planned to ask Black questions beyond his ties with Epstein.

Black stepped down as Apollo’s chief executive in 2021 after an outside law firm hired by Apollo found that he paid Epstein $158 million for his tax-planning and estate services. The review by law firm Dechert found no evidence that Black was involved in Epstein’s criminal activities.