US billionaire Leon Black defies summons and sues Epstein panel

Billionaire investor Leon Black has failed to appear before a US congressional committee investigating the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein - instead filing a lawsuit challenging the committee's efforts to summon him.

The lawsuit calls the subpoenas issued by the House Oversight Committee "invalid" and says they hold "no legitimate connection" to the committee's legislative aim.

Black walked out of the committee in June while giving voluntary testimony after he was asked about nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) he may have signed, lawmakers said at the time.

Black has denied any wrongdoing with regards to his dealings with Epstein.

The subpoenas, which ordered Black to share NDAs and give an on-camera deposition under oath, were issued after he left the committee meeting in June.

His lawsuit opposing these summonses, which was filed in federal court in Washington on Thursday, argued that revealing the NDAs might "expose women who value their privacy, who have no known or public connection to Epstein, who bargained for confidentiality and have refused to release it".

NDAs are contracts where both parties agree to keep information confidential, often as part of a settlement or employment agreement.

"This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr Black," Susan Estrich, an attorney for Black, said in a press release on Thursday.

"We were left with no choice but to file this lawsuit in response to an abuse of Congressional power."

Billionaire Leon Black walks out of Epstein investigation hearing

"By refusing to testify today, Leon Black is now defying two Congressional subpoenas," Robert Garcia, who sits on the committee, said in a statement after Black failed to appear.

"His connections to Epstein and his unwillingness to cooperate are unacceptable. We must hold him in contempt immediately," Garcia added.

Contempt of Congress could result in the committee referring Black to the justice department for potential prosecution.

"It's a shame Leon Black is hiding behind litigation rather than provide answers to the American people," Chairman Jomes Comer said. "Mr Black's testimony is crucial to our investigation."

Black has said he employed Epstein as a wealth management adviser, telling the House Oversight Committee in June that he had paid Epstein $158m (£120m) for legitimate purposes over the course of their years-long association.

He has said he did not know about Epstein's "nefarious activity until Epstein was charged with trafficking in July 2019".

Black appears in the Epstein files released by the justice department, which include photos, videos and investigative documents relating to the disgraced late financier.

There is no suggestion that appearing in the documents implies any wrongdoing.

Black had a six-year affair with a former Russian model, Guzel Ganieva, which ended in allegations of abuse, court records show.

According to a lawsuit filed by Ganieva against Black, which was later dismissed, he prepared a nondisclosure agreement in 2015 to secure her silence.

Epstein offered Black advice, including suggesting in an email to his assistant that Black hire former law enforcement officers to approach Ganieva, according to files released by the US justice department.

Estrich, Black's attorney, has dismissed Ganieva's accusation as "demonstrably false". Black himself has previously said he was the victim of extortion.

A judge ultimately dismissed Ganieva's lawsuit, citing the NDA she signed and about $9m (£6.6m) that she had received in the years after entering the agreement.

Black left Apollo Global Management, a company he co-founded, in 2021 - saying at the time that "relentless public attention and media scrutiny" of his ties with Epstein had taken "a toll" on his health.

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