Investor Leon Black filed a lawsuit against the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Thursday, September 3, 2026, seeking to invalidate subpoenas requiring his testimony and the production of documents. The legal action was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on the same day Black was scheduled for a transcribed deposition before the committee. Black, the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, declined to attend the scheduled session, prompting Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) to state he would discuss next steps with members.
The litigation follows a June voluntary appearance by Black before the committee. During that session, Black reportedly refused to answer questions regarding nondisclosure agreements (NDAs). In response, Comer issued two subpoenas demanding a videotaped deposition and information related to the NDAs. The committee is investigating Jeffrey Epstein to determine how he avoided scrutiny for decades. Black has acknowledged paying Epstein $158 million for wealth management advice between 2013 and 2017 but maintains he was unaware of Epstein's illegal activities until 2019.
Black's lawsuit argues that the subpoenas lack a "legitimate connection" to a legislative purpose and seek private information that exceeds the committee’s authority. His attorney, Susan Estrich, stated that the investigation has become an "abuse of Congressional power" and a "fishing expedition" intended to damage Black's reputation. The legal filing claims that producing the NDAs would compromise the privacy of women who have no public connection to Epstein. Black has already produced one NDA involving a $9.5 million payment to a woman with whom he had an affair, but Comer characterized this as insufficient.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the committee's ranking member, called for Black to be held in contempt of Congress for defying the subpoenas. Garcia stated that Black "funded Epstein's abuse and trafficking of women," citing the $180 million total Black allegedly paid Epstein over six years. The committee previously released emails from 2015 showing Epstein advising Black on negotiations with a former Russian model. The committee's investigation has also included interviews or testimony from other figures, including Bill Gates, Les Wexner, and Howard Lutnick.
For the individuals involved, the outcome determines whether private settlements and personal correspondence will remain confidential or become part of the public record. Specifically, the ruling will impact the privacy of multiple women who entered into NDAs with Black; his attorneys argue these women have no connection to Epstein and bargained for confidentiality. The committee asserts that Epstein’s involvement in negotiating at least one of these agreements makes them relevant to understanding how he used his influence.
The scale of the financial relationship is central to the dispute, involving reported payments of $158 million to $180 million over a six-year period. The committee is attempting to determine if these payments facilitated Epstein's criminal activity. The next steps include a potential vote by the House Oversight Committee on whether to hold Black in contempt, while a federal judge in D.C. will review Black's request to strike down the subpoenas. No specific court date has been announced for the lawsuit.