US billionaire Leon Black defies summons and sues Epstein panel

Billionaire investor Leon Black has failed to appear before a US congressional committee investigating the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – instead filing a lawsuit challenging the committee's efforts to summon him.

Key points

• He has remarked he did not know concerning Epstein's "nefarious activity until Epstein was charged with trafficking in July 2019".
• "It's a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people, " Chairman Jomes Comer remarked.
• The lawsuit calls the subpoenas issued by the House Oversight Committee "invalid" and notes they hold "no legitimate connection" to the committee's legislative aim.
• "We were left with no choice but to file this lawsuit in response to an abuse of Congressional power." Billionaire Leon Black walks out of Epstein investigation hearing.
• Contempt of Congress could result in the committee referring Black to the justice department for potential prosecution.

In practice, the lawsuit calls the subpoenas issued by the House Oversight Committee "invalid" and notes they hold "no legitimate connection" to the committee's legislative aim.

Black walked out of the committee in June while giving voluntary testimony after he was asked regarding nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) he may have signed, lawmakers stated at the time.

Black has denied any wrongdoing with regards to his dealings with Epstein.

In practice, the subpoenas, which ordered Black to share NDAs and offer an on-camera deposition under oath, were issued after he left the committee gathering in June.

His lawsuit opposing these summonses. It was filed in federal court in Washington on Thursday, argued that revealing the NDAs might "expose women who value their privacy, who have no known or public connection to Epstein, who bargained for confidentiality and have refused to release it".

NDAs are contracts where both parties agree to keep information confidential, often as part of a settlement or employment agreement.

"This is no longer regarding finding the truth concerning Epstein. It is regarding trying to destroy Mr Black, " Susan Estrich, an attorney for Black, stated in a press release on Thursday.

"By refusing to testify today, Leon Black is now defying two Congressional subpoenas, " Robert Garcia, who sits on the committee, remarked in an official note after Black failed to appear.

"His connections to Epstein and his unwillingness to cooperate are unacceptable. We must hold him in contempt immediately, " Garcia continued.

"It's a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people, " Chairman Jomes Comer remarked. "Mr Black's testimony is crucial to our investigation."

Black has remarked he employed Epstein as a wealth management adviser, telling the House Oversight Committee in June that he had paid Epstein $158m (£120m) for legitimate purposes over the course of their years-long association.

Black appears in the Epstein files published by the justice department. It include photos, videos and investigative documents relating to the disgraced late financier.

There is no suggestion that appearing in the documents implies any wrongdoing.

Black had a six-year affair with a former Russian model, Guzel Ganieva. It concluded in allegations of abuse, court records show.

According to a lawsuit filed by Ganieva against Black. It was afterwards dismissed, he prepared a nondisclosure agreement in 2015 to secure her silence.

Epstein offered Black advice, including suggesting in an email to his assistant that Black hire former law enforcement officers to approach Ganieva, according to files published by the US justice department.

Estrich, Black's attorney, has dismissed Ganieva's accusation as "demonstrably false". Black himself has previously remarked he was the victim of extortion.

Notably, a judge ultimately dismissed Ganieva's lawsuit, citing the NDA she signed and regarding $9m (£6.6m) that she had received in the years after entering the agreement.

Black left Apollo Global Management, a firm he co-founded, in 2021 – saying at the time that "relentless public attention and media scrutiny" of his ties with Epstein had taken "a toll" on his health.

For now, US billionaire Leon Black defies summons and sues Epstein panel remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.