Billionaire Leon Black sues Representative Robert Garcia for defamation

Billionaire Leon Black filed a 7.25 million dollar federal defamation lawsuit against Democratic Representative Robert Garcia of California on Wednesday, the New York Post reported. According to the New York Post, AP News, Politico, Bloomberg News, and TMZ, the lawsuit centers on public comments made by the congressman that connected Black to the crimes of late financier Jeffrey Epstein. [1][3][4][5][6]

The lawsuit follows congressional action against the businessman. The New York Post reported that the legal filing came less than two months after the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution holding Black in contempt of Congress. That vote occurred after Black failed to comply with subpoenas issued by the House Oversight Committee during its investigation into Epstein. [1]

Black previously appeared for a voluntary interview with the House Oversight Committee in June, during which he denied having any knowledge of the sex trafficking network operated by Epstein, the New York Post reported. Weeks after that interview, Garcia made remarks during a television interview that prompted the current legal action. [1]

Black co-founded Apollo Global Management in 1990 and served as its chief executive officer, and he served as chairman of the Museum of Modern Art from 2018 to 2021. He later resigned from both organizations following disclosures regarding his business connections to Epstein. Garcia has served as the United States representative for the 42nd congressional district of California since 2023, after serving as the mayor of Long Beach from 2014 to 2022. [7][8]