The Associated Press reported that Apollo co-founder Leon Black sued Rep. Robert Garcia over Jeffrey Epstein remarks, adding a legal dispute amid a House inquiry into the federal handling of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases.
AP said Black filed the defamation suit Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suit challenges comments Garcia made in a television interview. As AP described it, the complaint says Garcia connected Black to Epstein’s criminal conduct and to survivors’ allegations of abuse and trafficking. AP also reported that the complaint alleges Black faced threats and hostile communications and suffered harm to his business and philanthropic activities.
Black denied involvement in or knowledge of Epstein’s crimes during a June 26 interview with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “I was not involved with and had no knowledge of any of Epstein’s heinous conduct,” he told the committee. Black also said he knew Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008 to Florida prostitution-related charges involving a minor.
The committee issued Black two subpoenas on June 26, seeking a deposition and nondisclosure agreements. It said Black missed a scheduled Sept. 3 deposition and provided one agreement. On Sept. 16, the House agreed to a resolution finding Black in contempt for failing to comply with the subpoenas.
A 2021 report commissioned by Apollo’s Conflicts Committee and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission listed $158 million in payments from Black to Epstein for work from 2012 through 2017. The report said its review did not uncover evidence that Black participated in Epstein’s criminal activities.
AP reported that Garcia’s office had not immediately responded to its request for comment.
