House Moves to Hold Leon Black in Contempt Over Epstein-Linked NDAs, Proposes Bill to Void Such Agreements for Abuse Victims

Congress has launched a new offensive against billionaire Leon Black. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted to hold Black — a Jeffrey Epstein associate and ex-CEO of Apollo Global Management — in criminal contempt of Congress after he declined to comply with a subpoena demanding all his non-disclosure agreements, including those mentioning Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell. That same day, the chair of the congressional committee seeking to obtain non-disclosure agreements from Black for its Epstein probe introduced legislation that would permit sexual abuse victims to void such NDAs. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer stated the bill would guarantee that survivors of sexual abuse and others with relevant information can speak freely. “Our investigation has revealed how powerful men have weaponized nondisclosure agreements to silence sexual abuse survivors,” Comer, a Kentucky Republican, said in a Wednesday statement. Themoneytimes reported earlier this year that several of Epstein’s accusers have entered confidential settlements with Epstein associates they also accuse of misconduct, according to three individuals with direct knowledge. Those settlements include NDAs, the sources said. One source told Themoneytimes they had direct knowledge of settlements involving four of Epstein’s friends accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women collectively. In June, the House Oversight Committee issued two subpoenas to Black after he declined to answer questions about NDAs during a closed-door interview regarding his dealings with Epstein. Black, who paid Epstein over $150 million for purported financial services, walked out of that voluntary session. Earlier this month, Black filed a lawsuit against the committee instead of complying with the subpoenas. One demanded NDAs; the other required him to testify under oath in a deposition. Black has maintained he was unaware of Epstein’s sexual abuse of women. His lawsuit argues the committee lacked a “valid legislative purpose” for “such a sweeping and intrusive subpoena served upon a private citizen.” Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Maxwell received a 20-year prison sentence after a Manhattan jury convicted her in 2021 of trafficking girls to Epstein for sex. If enacted, Comer’s proposed Survivor’s Voice Protection Act would invalidate nondisclosure clauses that prevent sexual abuse victims from discussing their experiences or that block others from revealing related facts. The legislation would also impose a fiduciary duty to report suspected sexual grooming of minors to law enforcement. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have not yet indicated whether they will back the NDA legislation. Wednesday’s unanimous House vote to hold Black in contempt authorizes Speaker Mike Johnson to refer the matter to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution. Black’s attorneys criticized the vote, claiming the committee’s subpoenas unfairly singled him out. “The Committee continues to demand information that does not exist,” attorneys Susan Estrich and Aaron Cutler said in a Wednesday statement. They argued the committee sought to question Black about every NDA he ever signed, including those with business partners and individuals he never met. Individuals bound by NDAs can be legally compelled to testify via subpoena, but not in a voluntary congressional interview. Other Epstein associates, such as Bill Gates, stated in voluntary interviews that they had not signed any NDAs with Epstein or Maxwell victims. Numerous states have banned NDAs related to sexual abuse in the wake of the #MeToo movement and reporting on Harvey Weinstein, yet no federal ban exists. This story has been updated.