Leon Black sues House Oversight Chair: Defamation claim filed

Leon Black filed a defamation lawsuit against Rep. Robert Garcia on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suit targets remarks made by Garcia, the senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, concerning Black’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Black is a former Wall Street private equity investor who had a business relationship with Epstein. The lawsuit alleges that Garcia knowingly and willfully lied about him. The complaint cites specific comments where Garcia described Black as being at the center of and directly involved in Epstein’s crimes.

Garcia has led the committee’s investigation into Epstein. Black has been the subject of subpoenas from the Republican-led panel. In September, the committee voted unanimously to hold Black in contempt after he refused to comply with those subpoenas. The House later voted to formalize that contempt resolution.

In September, Garcia responded to a separate lawsuit filed by Black against the committee. Garcia stated that Black funded Epstein’s abuse and trafficking of women. He added that multiple women have accused Black of sexual assault and that his connections to Epstein, combined with his refusal to cooperate, were unacceptable.

A spokesperson for Black issued a statement on Wednesday regarding the new suit. The spokesperson said Black has never abused a woman, been with an underage woman, or been involved in sex trafficking. The spokesperson also stated that Black never paid Epstein for women. A spokesperson for Garcia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Wednesday filing.

Black stepped down from Apollo Global Management in 2021 after an independent review of his ties to Epstein. That review found he was not involved in Epstein’s criminal activities, a finding Black has consistently supported. He sat for a voluntary closed-door interview with the Oversight Committee over the summer but left before it concluded. Lawmakers subsequently issued subpoenas for questions they said he was not answering, but Black did not appear for a later deposition.

The Justice Department said in a statement on Sept. 16 that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia would carefully review the contempt referral. The department said it would not hesitate to pursue additional cases where evidence supports them. No charges have been filed against Black. With Democrats set to take control of the House in January, Garcia is poised to become the new chair of the Oversight Committee.