NEW YORK — Billionaire investor Leon Black filed a federal defamation lawsuit on Wednesday against California Rep. Robert Garcia, accusing the Democratic congressman of making false and malicious public statements linking him to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, seeks a jury trial and $7.25 million in compensatory and punitive damages. It comes less than two months after the full House voted to hold Black in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the Oversight Committee, which is investigating Epstein’s network and the government’s handling of the case.
Leon Black Defamation Lawsuit: Key Allegations Against Garcia
At issue are comments Garcia made during a television interview weeks after Black sat for a voluntary interview with the committee in June, during which Black denied any knowledge of Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. According to the filing, Garcia said “Leon Black is at the center of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes” and that Black “was one of the last people to actually interact” with Epstein before his death in prison. Garcia also claimed he had “talked to survivors that have credibly named Leon Black as someone that was involved in direct abuse of women”.
Black’s lawyers assert those statements were false and made with malice. “Congressman Garcia’s knowing lies have caused real and significant ongoing harm to Mr. Black,” the filing states, citing threats to his physical safety, a barrage of hateful communications, and damage to his business and philanthropic work. A spokesperson for Garcia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Congressional Investigation Into Black’s Epstein Connections
The lawsuit marks an escalation in Black’s legal offensive amid mounting scrutiny in Washington. The House Oversight Committee, where Garcia serves as the top Democrat, has been investigating Black’s financial ties to Epstein. Lawmakers have alleged Black paid Epstein roughly $180 million over the years; a 2021 review commissioned by Apollo Global Management, the private equity firm Black co-founded, found he paid $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for what the review described as “bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services”. Black stepped down from Apollo in 2021 during the fallout over his Epstein ties.
The contempt resolution against Black, approved by the House in September, has been referred to the Justice Department, though no criminal charges have been filed. Black has separately sued the Oversight Committee to block its subpoenas, arguing the panel has exceeded its authority—a case that remains in litigation.
Leon Black’s Previous Lawsuits and Legal Battles
The defamation suit against Garcia is the latest in a series of legal battles Black has waged against his accusers. In October, a federal judge dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by a woman known as “Jane Doe,” who alleged Black raped her in 2002 when she was a teenager after Epstein “handed her off” to him. The plaintiff asked to dismiss the case with prejudice, stating she was “medically incapable of continuing” and at risk of an acute psychiatric crisis; the dismissal did not involve a settlement, and her lawyer said it was not a retraction of her allegations. Earlier in the year, a judge sanctioned Doe and her former attorney for falsifying evidence and repeatedly lying to the court.
In a separate matter, a New York state appeals court ruled in January 2025 that another accuser, Guzel Ganieva, was bound by a 2015 nondisclosure agreement and could not pursue defamation claims against Black, affirming a trial judge’s 2023 dismissal of her case.
Black has consistently denied all allegations of sexual misconduct and any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct. Through a spokesperson, he has stated that “he has never abused a woman; he has never been with an underage woman; he has never been involved with sex trafficking; and he never paid Epstein for women”.
