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Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black has sued members of the US Congress over their probe into the federal government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, accusing lawmakers of abusing their congressional power by engaging in a “fishing expedition”.
Lawyers for the billionaire filed a lawsuit on Thursday in federal court against the House committee on oversight and government reform and its chair, Republican congressman James Comer.
Black’s lawyers argued that two congressional subpoenas issued to the Apollo co-founder earlier in the summer were “invalid” because they allegedly exceeded the committee’s “delegated authority” by “seeking private information that bears no legitimate connection” to the panel’s “legislative purpose”. Black’s lawyers also said the subpoenas would “expose women who value their privacy”.
Congressional subpoenas are legally binding. If an individual does not comply with a subpoena, and lawmakers vote to hold them in contempt of Congress, the matter is usually referred to the Department of Justice, which can lead to criminal charges.
Black is among several prominent Wall Street figures who have been targeted by the committee in recent months over their ties to Epstein. Former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley and Goldman Sachs’ one-time top lawyer, Kathy Ruemmler, both took questions from the committee this summer over their links to the late sex offender.
But Black is the first person to initiate a legal battle with lawmakers over their probe, which was launched last year to investigate the federal government’s handling of the Epstein case. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on federal sex-crime charges.
Susan Estrich, a lawyer for Black, accused the committee of engaging in a “fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility”.
“This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr Black,” Estrich said. “We were left with no choice but to file this lawsuit in response to an abuse of congressional power.”
Estrich said lawmakers’ behaviour was “reminiscent” of the 1950s, when Joseph McCarthy’s House un-American activities committee “abused its investigative authority and destroyed people’s lives”.
In June, Black appeared voluntarily before the committee for a closed-door interview about his relationship with the convicted sex offender. But that interview ended dramatically when Comer accused the billionaire of refusing to answer the committee’s questions and issued two subpoenas to Black.
The committee demanded that Black return to Capitol Hill for a videotaped sworn deposition, under oath, and produce non-disclosure agreements that he reportedly signed with several women. The deposition had been scheduled to take place on Thursday.
In July, Black submitted to lawmakers one NDA that he signed with Guzel Ganieva, a Russian model who had accused Black of defamation and rape. Black denied Ganieva’s allegations, and the New York State Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit Ganieva filed against Black in 2023. The decision was upheld by an appeals court last year.
At the time, a spokesperson for Comer rejected Black’s submission, telling the FT the Apollo co-founder was not “acting in good faith”.
Estrich on Thursday said Black had provided the committee with the “only confidentiality agreement that Jeffrey Epstein knew about”.
Black stepped down as Apollo’s chief executive in 2021 amid a scandal over his decades-long relationship with Epstein. The private equity magnate was forced to quit after it was revealed that he had paid the late sex offender more than $150mn for financial advice on matters including taxes, art transactions and the management of his yacht and private plane.
Black has repeatedly denied involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities. Estrich on Thursday said Black “regrets ever dealing with Epstein” and had “no awareness” of the crimes that led to the sex offender’s arrest in 2019. She said Black had “never abused a woman . . . [been] with an underage woman . . . engaged in sex trafficking . . . [or] paid Epstein for access to women”. Estrich said Black was “never blackmailed by Epstein”.
Comer said in a statement on Thursday that Black was “hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people”.
Comer said Black’s testimony was “crucial” to the investigation because he was “one of Mr Epstein’s fee-paying clients and has several non-disclosure agreements”.
Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, called for Black to be held in contempt of Congress, calling the billionaire’s “connections to Epstein” and alleged “unwillingness to co-operate” with the committee “unacceptable”.
