NEW YORK (AP) — Billionaire Leon Black on Wednesday filed a federal defamation lawsuit against California Rep. Robert Garcia for public comments the Democratic congressman made tying him to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The court filing comes less than two months after the House approved a resolution holding Black in contempt of Congress for defying the Oversight Committee’s subpoenas in its investigation into Epstein.
In June, Black appeared for a voluntary interview at the committee during which he denied any knowledge of Epstein's sex trafficking network.
Weeks later, Garcia said during a TV interview that “Leon Black is at the center of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes” and that Black “was one of the last people to actually interact" with Epstein before he committed suicide in prison.
In addition, Garcia said that he had “talked to survivors that have credibly named Leon Black as someone that was involved in direct abuse of women and was directly involved" with Epstein.
Those statements were false and were made maliciously, Black asserts through his lawyers. The defamation lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York seeks a jury trial and $7.25 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
“Congressman Garcia’s knowing lies have caused real and significant ongoing harm to Mr. Black. His physical safety has been threatened, he has received a barrage of hateful calls, emails, and social media posts, and his business and philanthropic endeavors have suffered,” the filing states.
Garcia’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.
In September, Garcia called the contempt resolution against Black “an important step toward justice and accountability.”
Black had refused to respond to subpoenas asking him to appear and to turn over any potential nondisclosure agreements involving the investigation into Epstein.
Black's lawyers have repeatedly denounced the Oversight Committee's pursuit of the former head of a private equity firm as an abuse of congressional power. They have maintained he had no knowledge of any of Epstein’s criminal conduct.
Black was among several prominent figures, including Bill Clinton and Bill Gates, who had been asked to appear as part of the Oversight Committee's long-running probe of Epstein. Survivors of Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse have told personal stories of being young women in a trafficking enterprise organized by Epstein and his colleague Ghislaine Maxwell.
Black co-founded the private equity firm Apollo Global Management and stepped down in 2021 during the fallout over his ties to Epstein.
Lawmakers have alleged that Black paid Epstein $180 million during their yearslong relationship.
A 2021 review commissioned by Apollo found that Black paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 to 2017, after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The review said the payments were for “bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services.”
FILE - Billionaire Leon Black arrives for a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee at the Capitol in Washington on June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The two major candidates in Alaska's U.S. Senate race urged supporters to be patient as results began coming in late Tuesday, delivering rousing speeches and expressing confidence against the backdrop of the fallout from allegations of partisan tricks to recruit a candidate with the same name as the Republican incumbent.
The race headlined by two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola had been among those expected to play a role in determining which party gained control of the Senate. Democrats had won control before polls closed Tuesday night in Alaska.
“Lower 48 blue wave. But we're different,” Sullivan told supporters after initial results were reported. Peltola during her election night party said: "We are getting our government back.”
The race brought top Republican officials to Alaska to rally for Sullivan, including President Donald Trump, who placed particular focus on a third candidate in the race, retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan. Trump called him “fake” and ordered that the Justice Department sue to block certification if the incumbent loses, pending an investigation into potential voter confusion.
The lawsuit, filed less than two weeks before the ranked vote election, was dismissed by a federal judge, prompting a Justice Department appeal.
The race remained too early to call.
The candidacy of Dan J. Sullivan, who won 2.5% of the vote in the August open primary and qualified for the general election with a top-four finish, dominated attention in the final days of the race after The New York Times reported that Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in efforts to recruit him. The report revived long-held suspicions raised by the incumbent and his allies that Dan J. Sullivan was a “sham” candidate intent on confusing voters.
Peltola denied involvement in any such efforts, and Dan J. Sullivan, who lives in the small fishing community of Petersburg, has denied any contact with Peltola’s campaign. He has not returned messages in recent days.
Peltola appeared to reference the controversy in her speech late Tuesday, saying she was looking out on a room of people who are “smart people and know exactly who they’re voting for.”
The Justice Department last week confirmed the existence of a criminal investigation, but Alaska U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman would not say what potential crimes authorities were looking into or the targets of their probe. Donors to Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign have said that FBI agents have asked if they felt deceived by the lesser-known Sullivan.
The ballot distinguished the two as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent, and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation.
The senator, speaking to reporters after voting in Anchorage earlier Tuesday, called the controversy “the biggest election cheating scandal in the history of the state of Alaska" and called into question Peltola's denials.
“The whole scheme treats all of us Alaskans with disrespect,” he said.
Alaska accepts ballots that are postmarked by Election Day for up to 15 days after the election from overseas voters. That makes Nov. 18 the deadline for final receipt of ballots and when tabulations under the state’s ranked choice voting system will be done. Under Alaska’s system, rankings come into play if no candidate earns more than 50% of the first-choice votes.
Peltola held a significant lead over the incumbent early in the count, but the race tightened considerably, with Sullivan eventually overtaking the Democrat. Both candidates were below the 50%-plus one threshold of first-choice votes required to win outright. More returns are required to determine whether either candidate will exceed 50% or whether ranked choice tabulations will be triggered.
Peltola was at times giddy during her election night speech, even taking a selfie with the crowd. But she said that while they were all ready to celebrate, “the results are not going to be fast.”
“It’s going to take a long time to make sure we’re counting every vote from every far-flung hinterland community, from every tiny outpost, from all of our service members serving overseas, our young people going to colleges,” she said.
Sullivan also told his supporters it would take time to get final results. But he said he was confident that when all votes were counted, he'd win reelection.
Marilyn Moses, who says that she has known Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola for all of Peltola's life, becomes emotional during an election night event for Peltola Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola speaks at an election night event Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Lainey Diaz., 3, waits for mom Justise Diaz to finish voting at Midtown Mall on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
From left, Wren Peterson, Travis Peterson, and Tristen Peterson vote at the Hope Retreat Center on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Hope, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, gets a sticker after voting at the Alaska Zoo on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Mary Peltola, center, a Democrat running for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat, speaks with voters during a Get Out the Vote Rally in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (Jack Barnwell/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP)
Competing yard signs for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, are seen Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Whit sits on the shoulders of father Hayden Anderson-Michaud as he casts his ballot at a polling location open for early voting at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at the Alaska Aviation Museum, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks during a rally at Ginger's Restaurant, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Soldotna, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
