Billionaire investor Leon Black sued House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) on Thursday rather than appear for a subpoenaed deposition in Congress’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.
Black, the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, is fighting the committee’s demand that he turn over nondisclosure agreements he has signed with women — including agreements Black says have nothing to do with Epstein.
“This is no longer about finding the truth about Epstein. It is about trying to destroy Mr. Black,” Black’s attorney Susan Estrich said, calling the committee’s investigation a “fishing expedition.”
Comer maintains that Black doesn’t get to decide which of his agreements might be relevant to Congress’s investigation.
The current confrontation began during Black’s voluntary appearance before the committee in June. Black answered questions about his relationship with Epstein but refused to answer a series of questions about nondisclosure agreements, according to Comer. The chairman responded before Black left the room by issuing two subpoenas: one for another deposition and another demanding the agreements.
[NOTE: Black has acknowledged paying Epstein $158 million for tax and estate-planning work between 2012 and 2017 — years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction involving a minor. Black says he knew about that conviction but didn’t know Epstein was engaged in sex trafficking. A Senate Finance Committee investigation puts Black’s payments to Epstein at about $170 million.]
Black produced one NDA for Comer involving Guzel Ganieva, a former model who had accused him of rape and other misconduct. Black denied her allegations, and her lawsuit was dismissed. According to Comer, Black later offered to provide one more publicly known agreement but resisted producing the rest.
Black’s position is that agreements negotiated after Epstein died in 2019 cannot illuminate Epstein’s own conduct and that forcing their disclosure would expose women who bargained for confidentiality and have no known connection to him.
Comer’s answer is that the committee can’t know that without seeing what Black is withholding. He argues that an NDA signed after Epstein’s death could still involve one of Epstein’s victims. Comer even offered to narrow the document demand to agreements dating from Black’s relationship with Epstein and let Black initially provide a confidential log identifying the agreements rather than immediately turning all of them over. Black rejected that proposal.
That disagreement had been headed for a face-to-face confrontation Thursday. Comer warned Black last month that if he didn’t appear for the September 3 deposition and produce responsive documents, the committee would use “all tools at its disposal, including contempt.”
Black didn’t appear. He went to federal court instead.
Democrats on the Republican-controlled committee are siding with Comer in the subpoena fight.
“By refusing to testify today, Leon Black is now defying two Congressional subpoenas,” Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-CA) said, calling for Black to be held in contempt.
More than a dozen Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell survivors also urged Black this week to comply, specifically citing the nondisclosure agreements and asking Congress to use its enforcement powers if he refused.
Trump wants you to forget that Jeffrey Epstein called him his best friend. And that Trump appeared more times than almost anyone else in the released Epstein files.
But half the files still have not been released. We won’t stop until they are public and there’s justice.
— Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) August 20, 2026
Black’s lawsuit now asks a federal judge to stop Congress from enforcing the subpoenas, arguing that the demands have “no legitimate connection” to a valid legislative purpose. Garcia wants Congress to move in the opposite direction and hold Black in contempt.