Billionaire Leon Black skips Epstein deposition and sues House panel over subpoenas

WASHINGTON (AP) – Billionaire investor Leon Black refused to appear for a sworn deposition before Congress on Thursday and instead sued the House Oversight Committee, asking a federal court to block subpoenas issued as part of its investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Key points

• "The Committee is on a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility, " Black's attorney, Susan Estrich, remarked in an official note.
• The House Oversight Committee served Black with two subpoenas during a closed-door voluntary interview in June after lawmakers remarked he refused to answer questions concerning nondisclosure agreements.
• Black's lawsuit argues the subpoenas exceed the committee's authority by seeking private information unrelated to Epstein or any legitimate legislative purpose.

What happened

Meanwhile, the House Oversight Committee served Black with two subpoenas during a closed-door voluntary interview in June after lawmakers remarked he refused to answer questions concerning nondisclosure agreements. While the other compelled him to return for a deposition before the committee, one subpoena demanded Black produce nondisclosure agreements and other documents.

Black's lawsuit argues the subpoenas exceed the committee's authority by seeking private information unrelated to Epstein or any legitimate legislative purpose. It asks a federal judge to declare the subpoenas invalid and prevent the committee from enforcing them.

"The Committee is on a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility, " Black's attorney, Susan Estrich, remarked in an official note. "This is no longer regarding finding the truth concerning Epstein. It is regarding trying to destroy Mr. Black."

The bottom line

In short, billionaire Leon Black skips Epstein deposition and sues House panel over subpoenas is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.