Billionaire Leon Black sued California Rep. Robert Garcia in federal court Wednesday, accusing the Democratic lawmaker of defamation over remarks linking him to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawsuit was filed fewer than two months after the House passed a resolution finding Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas issued by the Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into Epstein.
Black voluntarily appeared before the committee in June, where he denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation.
Several weeks later, Garcia told a television interviewer that “Leon Black is at the center of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes.” The congressman also claimed Black “was one of the last people to actually interact” with Epstein before Epstein died by suicide in a federal prison.
Garcia further stated that he had “talked to survivors that have credibly named Leon Black as someone that was involved in direct abuse of women and was directly involved” with Epstein.
Black’s attorneys say those claims were false, defamatory and made with malicious intent. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, requests a jury trial and $7.25 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
“Congressman Garcia’s knowing lies have caused real and significant ongoing harm to Mr. Black. His physical safety has been threatened, he has received a barrage of hateful calls, emails, and social media posts, and his business and philanthropic endeavors have suffered,” the lawsuit alleges.
Garcia’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
ALSO READ: Florida HOA Demanded $13K for a Roof One Homeowner Didn’t Need
In September, Garcia described the contempt resolution targeting Black as “an important step toward justice and accountability.”
Black declined to comply with subpoenas seeking his testimony and any nondisclosure agreements that could be relevant to the congressional investigation into Epstein.
His legal team has repeatedly criticized the Oversight Committee’s efforts to question the former private-equity executive, calling the investigation an abuse of congressional authority. Black’s attorneys have continued to insist that he knew nothing about Epstein’s criminal activities.
Black was one of several high-profile individuals—including Bill Clinton and Bill Gates—asked to cooperate with the committee’s lengthy inquiry into Epstein. Survivors of Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse have described being recruited as young women into a trafficking operation run by Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Black co-founded Apollo Global Management, the private-equity firm, and left the company in 2021 amid scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein.
Lawmakers have alleged that Black paid Epstein $180 million over the course of their yearslong association.
A review commissioned by Apollo in 2021 concluded that Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017, years after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. According to the review, the payments covered “bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services.”