Leon Black, a Manhattan billionaire investor, sued the House Oversight Committee Thursday instead of sitting for a scheduled deposition in its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, calls the committee’s subpoenas “invalid” and argues they exceed its “delegated authority” by demanding private information—including nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) Black signed with women—with no “legitimate connection” to the panel’s legislative purpose, per Politico.
Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said Thursday’s transcribed interview proceeded with “an empty chair” for Black. “I would hold him in contempt right now,” Comer told reporters, though he said he wants to consult committee members and legal counsel before deciding next steps. “Of all the powerful billionaires and political people we brought in for interviews and depositions, this is the first time anyone’s filed suit.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the committee’s top Democrat, said he’d push to hold Black in contempt in the next Congress if Republicans lose their House majority in the 2027 midterms and Comer doesn’t act first. “We have had survivors tell our committee directly that Leon Black was involved in the abuse of women,” Garcia said. “His lawsuit against the committee is laughable… what he’s trying to do is slow the process down of getting us information.”
Black gave a closed-door interview to the committee in June, which led to two subpoenas, one of which demanded he produce NDAs tied to women connected to Epstein, according to earlier Politico reporting. He has since turned over one NDA—tied to a $9.5 million settlement with a woman he had an affair with, who accused him of rape—which Comer called insufficient, threatening contempt proceedings in August.
Susan Estrich, one of Black’s attorneys, called the subpoenas “a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility” in a statement. “This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black.”
Estrich said Black continues to deny knowledge of Epstein’s misconduct and “feels terrible for Epstein’s victims.”
If the House votes to hold Black in contempt, the matter would go to the Justice Department, which would decide whether to pursue criminal charges.
Black allegedly provided more than $180 million to Epstein between 2012 and 2017, according to statements from House Democrats. A 2021 review commissioned by Apollo’s board put the figure at $158 million over the same period, for tax and estate planning advice—and found Epstein’s advice “conferred more than $1 billion and as much as $2 billion or more in value to Black,” per PBS. Black stepped down as Apollo’s CEO in March 2021 after the review detailed the extent of those payments, according to NBC News.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), citing a Senate Finance Committee investigation, wrote House Oversight leaders in June that Black “was one of Jeffrey Epstein’s primary sources of income, flooding him with cash at a time when he was already a registered sex offender.”
Wyden’s letter also cited a $62 million settlement Black reached with the US Virgin Islands government in 2023 to head off future prosecution related to Epstein.
The standoff carries particular weight in New York. Black is a longtime fixture of Manhattan’s business and cultural establishment. He co-founded the roughly $1 trillion asset manager Apollo Global Management headquartered in New York, and chaired the Museum of Modern Art’s board from 2018 to 2021.
Black’s legal team and Apollo Global Management did not respond to Courier New York’s requests for comment.
