Billionaire investor Leon Black has sued Rep. Robert Garcia for $7.25 million, accusing the California Democrat of defaming him by publicly linking him to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking crimes during television interviews.
Filed November 4, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages and a jury trial. The former Apollo Global Management chief says Garcia's statements damaged his reputation, business interests and philanthropic work.
Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said during a television interview that Black was at the center of Epstein's crimes, had been credibly identified by survivors as directly involved in abuse, and was among the last people to interact with Epstein before his death in 2019. Black alleges the statements were false and malicious.
He says the remarks led to threats against his physical safety, abusive calls and messages and damage to his business and charitable activities.
Black appeared voluntarily before the House Oversight Committee on June 26 and denied knowing about Epstein's sex trafficking operation. After he declined to answer questions about nondisclosure agreements, committee leaders issued subpoenas requiring additional testimony and production of the agreements.
His deposition was ultimately scheduled for September 3, but Black did not appear and instead sued to challenge the subpoenas. The Oversight Committee voted 41-0 on September 15 to recommend holding him in contempt, and the full House approved the contempt resolution the next day.
Garcia made the disputed remarks during television interviews, outside the congressional proceedings protected by the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause.
As a public figure, Black must prove actual malice, meaning Garcia knew the statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for their truth.
Black's relationship with Epstein has been under scrutiny for years. An outside review commissioned by Apollo found that he paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for tax, estate planning and related services, years after Epstein's 2008 conviction involving a minor. Black has said he had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal activity.
Garcia's office had not publicly responded to the lawsuit when it was filed.
Garcia's next response will come in federal court, where the dispute could test both the protections for lawmakers speaking outside Congress and the actual malice standard Black must meet as a public figure.
