Leon Black sues Rep. Robert Garcia for defamation in New York court

Billionaire Leon Black has filed a federal defamation lawsuit against California Representative Robert Garcia in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The complaint follows Garcia’s televised remarks linking Black to the crimes of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, including claims that Black was “at the centre of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes” and that survivors had named him as directly involved in abuse.

Black’s filing seeks a jury trial and €7.25 million in compensatory and punitive damages, alleging that Garcia’s statements were false, made maliciously and have caused threats to his safety, hateful communications and damage to his business and philanthropic activities.

The lawsuit comes less than two months after the U.S. House approved a resolution holding Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with the Oversight Committee’s subpoenas in its Epstein investigation. Black denied knowledge of Epstein’s sex‑trafficking network during a voluntary interview with the committee in June.

Garcia’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In September, Garcia described the contempt resolution as “an important step toward justice and accountability.”

Source: ABC News. Photo: Bearded Texan Travels / Pexels.