Billionaire Leon Black has initiated a lawsuit against a United States House of Representatives committee that is investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday, coinciding with Black's absence from a scheduled deposition.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform had issued two subpoenas to Black following a voluntary interview he attended in June. During that interview, lawmakers stated that Black declined to answer questions regarding nondisclosure agreements connected to Epstein.
Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, characterized the committee’s investigation as 'a fishing expedition that oversteps its authority and completely ignores its responsibility.' She further asserted, 'This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black.'
In response, Representative Robert Garcia, the leading Democrat on the Oversight Committee, urged Congress to hold Black in contempt of Congress 'immediately.' To hold an individual in contempt typically requires a vote by the full House, which, if passed, would result in a citation being sent to a federal prosecutor. This could lead to a grand jury being impaneled for a potential indictment.
It remains uncertain if the Republican-controlled House would pursue such action. Garcia stated, 'By refusing to testify today, Leon Black is now defying two congressional subpoenas.'
Black's lawsuit aims to prevent the enforcement of the subpoenas, one of which requests documents related to his interactions with Epstein, while the other mandates his return for a deposition before the committee.
Black is among several prominent individuals whose names have appeared in documents released recently by the Department of Justice concerning its investigation into Epstein. These documents were made public following bipartisan legislative efforts aimed at increasing transparency regarding potential complicity by influential figures in Epstein's alleged crimes.
Epstein was awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges when he was found dead in a Manhattan detention facility in 2019. So far, only Epstein and his associate Ghislane Maxwell have faced charges related to these allegations.
The House committee's investigation, which operates independently of the Department of Justice's probe, has summoned several notable figures, including former President Bill Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates. President Donald Trump has not been called to testify, despite his previous friendship with Epstein, which ended in the early 2000s.
Despite the release of various documents, lawmakers from both parties have criticized the Department of Justice for not providing all relevant materials related to Epstein. Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican and critic of Trump, has been advocating for a vote on a new bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, which would empower state attorneys general and Epstein survivors to sue the Justice Department for the release of additional unredacted files.