Billionaire investor Leon Black has failed to appear before a US congressional committee investigating the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Instead, he has filed a lawsuit challenging the committee's efforts to summon him.
Lawsuit Details
The lawsuit calls the subpoenas issued by the House Oversight Committee "invalid" and claims they hold "no legitimate connection" to the committee's legislative aim. Black walked out of the committee in June while giving voluntary testimony after being asked about nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) he may have signed, according to lawmakers.
Black has denied any wrongdoing regarding 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, filed in federal court in Washington on Thursday, argues 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," said Susan Estrich, an attorney for Black, 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."
