Billionaire Leon Black skips Epstein deposition and sues House panel
over subpoenas
[September 04, 2026]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI
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.
The House Oversight Committee served Black with two subpoenas during a
closed-door voluntary interview in June after lawmakers said he refused
to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements. One subpoena
demanded Black produce nondisclosure agreements and other documents,
while the other compelled him to return for a deposition before the
committee.
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, said in a statement. “This is no longer about finding the truth
about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black.”
Top Oversight lawmakers threaten to hold Black in contempt
The top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the committee both
criticized Black's lawsuit and said they planned to discuss later
Thursday whether they would hold him in contempt of Congress.
“This is unacceptable. We're very disappointed,” said House Oversight
Chair James Comer. “Of all the powerful billionaires and political
people we've brought in for interview and depositions, this is the first
time anyone's filed suit.”
Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, called the
lawsuit “laughable” and that Black is “trying to slow the process down
of getting us the information.”
“Today, the process of contempt has to begin,” Garcia said.
Being held in contempt opens up a witness to criminal prosecution. If
the House approves a contempt resolution against Black, it would fall to
the Justice Department to decide whether to bring charges against him.
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Leon Black, a billionaire who was close with Jeffrey Epstein,
arrives for a closed-door interview with the House Oversight
Committee at the Capitol in Washington, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/J.
Scott Applewhite, File)
Black paid Epstein over $150 million during their yearslong
relationship
Black is the co-founder and former chief executive of the private
equity firm Apollo Global Management. He stepped down in 2021 during
the fallout over his ties to Epstein.
Lawmakers have alleged that Black paid Epstein $180 million during
their yearslong relationship.
A 2021 review commissioned by Apollo found that Black paid Epstein
$158 million from 2012 to 2017, after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008
to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The review said the
payments were for “bona fide tax, estate planning and other related
services.”
Black is among a number of influential figures to appear in the
investigation into Epstein and the web of wealth and influence
around him. Other figures to have appeared for the investigation
include former Democratic President Bill Clinton, Commerce Secretary
Howard Lutnick and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
Black is mentioned repeatedly in files that the Justice Department
has released related to the Epstein investigation. He also appears
in a collection of birthday messages sent to Epstein that were
released by the House committee last year, including a poem
attributed to Black that refers to “Blond, Red or Brunette, spread
out geographically.”
Before the June 26 appearance before the committee, Black maintained
that he was not aware of Epstein’s “nefarious activity” until 2019
and that he paid Epstein for legitimate purposes, in part due to his
“unrivaled network of relationships” with influential figures.
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