A billionaire raped a teenager inside Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion in New York City, according to a new lawsuit.
Leon Black, the billionaire, raped the girl when she was just 16 inside Mr. Epstein’s residence on the Upper East Side, the civil suit alleges.
The girl, whose name has not been made public and is using the pseudonym Jane Doe, was allegedly instructed, and did, on multiple occasions give Mr. Epstein a massage that included sexual intercourse.
After learning the girl would follow instructions, Mr. Epstein often handed her off to other men to do the same, according to the suit, including at Mr. Epstein’s homes in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Palm Beach, Florida.
In 2002, the girl was transported to Mr. Epstein’s New York City home, where she was introduced by Mr. Epstein’s “special friend” Mr. Black, according to the suit. Mr. Epstein was quoted as telling the girl to give Mr. Black the same kind of “massage treatment” that she had given him.
Mr. Black allegedly violently assaulted the girl before raping her. He is accused of laughing at the girl’s attempts to flee from him.
The suit is not being linked because it contains graphic descriptions of what allegedly occurred.
“Although Epstein trafficked Plaintiff to other men, both before and after Black, she was never again taken to NYC. The violent and sadistic nature of Black’s rape left an indelible mark on her, both physically and psychologically. Plaintiff suffered internal abrasions in her rectum that continue to cause her pain,” the suit states.
“Sadly, Ms. Doe’s experience is one more in a long line of despicable and heinous experiences inflicted on a minor trapped in Jeffrey Epstein’s web—a web that extended to a group of powerful and influential men, including Leon Black,” it also says.
The suit was brought under a New York law that enables victims of sexual abuse to bring claims by the end of 2025 for older incidents.
It asks the court for damages.
“This is a frivolous and sanctionable lawsuit. Mr. Black has never met this individual. These vicious and defamatory lies, masquerading as allegations, have been intentionally manufactured by the Wigdor law firm as part of the firm’s vendetta against Mr. Black for vigorously and successfully defending himself over the past two years. Wigdor’s prior case against Mr. Black was recently thrown out by the Court and this one will be too,” Susan Estrich, a lawyer representing Mr. Black, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.
In response, Jeanne Christensen, a lawyer with Wigdor who is representing the plaintiff, told The Epoch Times in an email: “Black’s conspiracy theories and finger pointing are an obvious attempt to shift the focus away from his heinous acts. I do not think anyone will be fooled by such nonsense.”
Mr. Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was set to go on trial for sex trafficking of minors and other charges when he died in 2019. His death was ruled a suicide.
Girl Is Autistic
The plaintiff in the new case is autistic and is at a developmental stage similar to a 12-year-old, according to the suit.
The girl was said to have signed up for a cheerleading program in the summer of 2001 and had been allowed by her parents to live with the director of the program.
That woman, who was identified only by her first name, was said to have groomed the girl, with harsh punishment levied if she did not comply.
The woman allegedly introduced the girl to Mr. Epstein and Mr. Epstein’s partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.
That led to the girl being handed around to various acquaintances of Mr. Epstein, according to the suit.
Other Suits
Mr. Black has been accused before of raping females in connection with his relationship with Mr. Epstein.
Cheri Pierson, for instance, filed a civil suit in 2022 saying Mr. Black raped her in 2002 at Mr. Epstein’s New York City home.
Ms. Pierson says she was raped in a private suite inside the home.
“Black’s brutal attack took place in a secluded and private area where no one could see Black or hear Ms. Pierson scream,” that suit stated.
Ms. Pierson’s suit is ongoing.
Another suit was dismissed in May.
Review
Mr. Black is an investor who co-founded Apollo Global Management but is no longer with the firm.
Apollo announced in 2021 that a review of Mr. Black’s relationship with Mr. Epstein found Mr. Epstein regularly advised Mr. Black on financial issues, including trust planning.
Mr. Black paid Mr. Epstein $158 million for the advice from 2012 through 2017, the probe found.
“As a result of Epstein’s work, Black believed, and witnesses generally agreed, that Epstein provided advice that conferred more than $1 billion and as much as $2 billion or more in value to Black,” Dechert, a law firm that compiled the report, stated.
Mr. Black also loaned Mr. Epstein some $30 million but was only repaid a third of that before Mr. Epstein died.
The investigation did not uncover wrongdoing by Mr. Black or Apollo.
Settles With US Virgin Islands
Mr. Black paid $62.5 million to avoid any legal claims from the U.S. Virgin Islands government, representatives said earlier in July.
A spokesperson for Mr. Black confirmed in an emailed statement that Mr. Black had settled with the Virgin Islands, noting that there was no suggestion in the settlement “that Mr. Black was aware of or participated in any misconduct.”
The spokesperson went on to say that, as previously known, Mr. Black had paid Epstein for “legitimate financial advisory services” and that Mr. Black had “resolved the (Virgin Island’s) potential claims arising out of the unintended consequences of those payments.”
The U.S. Virgin Islands has brought cases against various entities, including JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank, for their actions related to Mr. Epstein.
Both banks settled the cases, agreeing to pay hundreds of millions of dollars rather than go to trial.
Reuters contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
