Leon Black files suit against Rep. Robert Garcia over Epstein statements

Leon Black, the former Wall Street investor, filed a defamation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York on Wednesday against Representative Robert Garcia. The suit targets the California Democrat, who currently serves as the top member of the House Oversight Committee. Black claims Garcia knowingly and willfully lied about him, specifically citing comments that placed Black at the center of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes and described him as directly involved.

Garcia first raised these points in a September statement. He responded to an earlier lawsuit filed by Black against the committee by saying Black funded Epstein’s abuse and trafficking of women. Garcia added that multiple women accused Black of sexual assault and called his refusal to cooperate unacceptable. A spokesperson for Garcia did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the new Wednesday filing.

The legal conflict follows a tense summer of hearings. Black sat for a voluntary, closed-door interview with the Oversight Committee but left before the session ended. Lawmakers then issued subpoenas to compel him to answer outstanding questions. Black missed a subsequent deposition and sued to block the subpoenas. That case remains active in court.

The committee voted unanimously in September to hold Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with the subpoenas. The Justice Department reviewed the referral in September and stated that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia would look at the matter carefully. Officials said they would not hesitate to pursue additional cases if the evidence supported them. No charges have been filed against Black yet.

Black stepped down from Apollo Global Management in 2021 after the firm completed an independent review of his ties to Epstein. The review found that Black was not involved in Epstein’s criminal activities, a finding Black has consistently supported while denying wrongdoing. He has maintained his position in a statement released Wednesday, asserting that he never abused a woman, was never with an underage woman, and was never involved in sex trafficking. He also stated he never paid Epstein for women.

Political shifts will change the dynamics of this dispute. Democrats are scheduled to take control of the House in January. When that happens, Garcia is expected to become the chair of the Oversight Committee. This move would place the defendant in the lead role of the body that previously issued the subpoenas at the center of the lawsuit.