Billionaire financier Leon Black is accused of raping 16-year-old autistic girl in 2002 after being introduced to her by pedophile Jeffrey Epstein at his Upper East Side mansion, new lawsuit claims
- The unnamed woman said that Black attacked her at Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan mansion in 2002, when she was 16
- She said Epstein later found her crying, but refused to let her see a doctor and said his right-hand woman Ghislaine Maxwell would take care of her
- Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, which he left in 2021, said through his lawyer the suit was ‘frivolous’ and he never met his accuser
The billionaire investor Leon Black was sued on Tuesday by an autistic woman who says he raped her in the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion in Manhattan in 2002, when she was 16.
In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, the woman, using the pseudonym Jane Doe, said that as she was preparing to give Black a massage, Black pinned her down and penetrated her with sex toys, causing her to bleed.
She said Epstein later found her crying, but refused to let her see a doctor and said longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell would take care of her.
The plaintiff, who is now in her late 30s, is described in the legal complaint as being born with mosaic Down syndrome and having a ‘developmental age’ around 12 years old.
Black’s lawyer Susan Estrich called Doe’s lawsuit frivolous.
Leon Black, 71, was accused on Tuesday of raping an autistic woman at Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse
Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 age 66, while awaiting trial for sex trafficking
‘He never met this woman,’ Estrich told Reuters.
‘He doesn’t know her at all. We’re confident the lawsuit is totally uncorroborated by any evidence. It has nothing to do with Leon Black.’
Estrich told The Messenger that Black believed the case was filed as revenge by the woman’s lawyers, Wigdor, for Black ‘vigorously and successfully defending himself over the past two years.’
Black has filed a motion to impose sanctions against Wigdor in December for filing frivolous claims against the financier on behalf of Epstein’s victims.
Black’s name has been repeatedly tied to Epstein’s.
Black has denied other sexual abuse accusations, including in a dismissed lawsuit by former Russian model Guzel Ganieva, and a lawsuit by Cheri Pierson who also claimed he raped her in Epstein’s home two decades ago.
The billionaire has also reached a $62.5 million settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein had a home, to avoid a possible lawsuit.
Estrich added: ‘These allegations — about an incident that supposedly took place 20 years ago — are totally made up, entirely uncorroborated.’
She called the complaint ‘vicious and defamatory lies, masquerading as allegations.’
Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, where he entertained the rich and famous, and abused young women
Epstein is seen with his ‘fixer’ Ghislaine Maxwell, who in June 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role assisting Epstein with his sex trafficking scheme
The accuser said she was lured into Epstein’s orbit from a summer program for cheerleaders, and gave him massages, with she and he naked, before being ‘shipped off’ to Black.
She is seeking damages for Black’s alleged violation of a New York City law against gender-motivated violence.
Her lawyer Jeanne Christensen declined to say whether Doe tried to settle.
She said the suit was brought thanks to a change in law, which removed the barrier of the statute of limitations.
‘Today, because of legislative initiatives in NYS granting sexual violence victims the right to file claims previously barred by the statute of limitations, we were able to commence a legal action against Leon Black for harms committed years ago against our client Jane Doe when she was a minor,’ she said.
‘This is significant for our client and for all sexual assault survivors.
‘It is an honor to represent Jane Doe and we look forward to proceeding to discovery and trial on Jane Doe’s claims.’
Black co-founded private equity firm Apollo Global Management, which he left in 2021.
Forbes magazine said he is worth $10.1 billion.
The lawsuit was filed the same day the U.S. Senate’s finance committee said it was examining Black’s treatment of several trusts, and whether $158 million he paid Epstein for tax and estate planning was properly deemed income or gifts for tax purposes.
Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
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