Leon Black says ex-girlfriend is lying about Jeffrey Epstein sex claims
Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black said a former
Russian model’s accusations that he tried to push her into a sexual encounter
with Jeffrey Epstein are “demonstrably false,” according to a Wednesday court
filing.
Black said he has proof that his onetime girlfriend Guzel
Ganieva “simply invented” the connection to Epstein. Her initial complaint
against the billionaire, filed in June, accused Black of defamation and said he
had raped her, but didn’t mention Epstein.
“It speaks volumes that these outlandish allegations are
only now appearing for the very first time,” the Wednesday filing said,
referring to Ganieva’s amended complaint, which she filed in August. It was
that complaint that for the first time mentioned Epstein.
Black said in Wednesday’s filing that he has tape recordings
of Ganieva from around 2015 in which she says she has never met Epstein. He had
questioned her at the time about whether she knew him, according to the filing.
“Common sense dictates that Mr. Black would never have asked
such a question were the events described in [her] Amended [Aug. 9] Complaint
true,” the filing said.
Ganieva’s amended complaint added explosive allegations to
her original claim. It said that Black in 2008 flew her to Florida to have sex
with Epstein in a threesome. Ganieva said she refused to have sex with the men
despite Epstein’s assistant allegedly warning her that the men were “sex
addicts” and that “there will be consequences” for displeasing them.
Had the incident actually happened, Black said in
Wednesday’s filing, Ganieva would have recounted meeting Epstein in the 2015
recording. The filing says Ganieva suggested in the recording only that Epstein
might have once called her.
Ganieva alleged last month that in 2008 while Epstein was
serving a prison sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution, Black flew
her in his private jet from Teterboro, NJ, to Palm Beach, Fla., to meet
Epstein, whom he had previously referred to as his “best friend.” She alleged
that Black hadn’t told her why he wanted to fly her to Florida.
Black in Wednesday’s filing said “aircraft records and flight
manifests refute this fabricated story.”
Black has asked New York State Supreme Court Judge David
Cohen to dismiss Ganieva’s defamation suit against him.
This battle between Black, the former chairman of the Museum
of Modern Art, and the previously relatively unknown Ganieva, began in March
when she alleged in a tweet that Black had sexually assaulted her. He hit back
in the press claiming she had been extorting money from him. She then filed the
original defamation suit before amending it.
Black filed a countersuit after Ganieva’s initial complaint,
but it is not in his current defense.
Black asked in the Wednesday filing for the judge to impose
sanctions on Ganieva and her attorneys, including Wigdor Partner Jeanne
Christensen, for their “sanctionable litigation misconduct,” including what his
attorneys said was the “outrageous” allegation of rape, which the filing said
was made to destroy Black’s reputation.
Christensen, in a statement to The Post, said Black has
concocted a false narrative about her client.
“Black’s billions and his powerful connections will not
prevent the truth from coming out,” she said. “We are confident that a jury of
Ms. Ganieva’s peers will hold Black accountable for Black’s horrific conduct as
alleged in our complaint by Ms. Ganieva.”
So far, Black’s legal team has not produced the recordings
of Ganieva, as well as what they allege are damning text messages from Ganieva
professing her love for Black. They said they are willing to produce the
evidence if Ganieva agrees to shield these recordings and messages from the
public through a court protective order.
Black and Gaineva both say they had an affair from 2008
through 2014, and that the married Black paid money to Ganieva during that time
to fund her education and pay her rent.
Then, both parties say Black and Ganieva in 2015 signed a
non-disclosure agreement in which Black agreed to pay her more money to stay
quiet about the affair. Black alleges she was extorting him; Ganieva alleges he
forced her to sign the papers.
Black resigned from Apollo as CEO and chairman only days
after the board became aware of Ganieva’s March tweets about allegedly being
sexually assaulted. Black also decided around that time not to run for
re-election as the chair of MoMA.
Apollo, aside from the Ganieva tweets, found a few months
earlier that Black had paid Epstein $158 million between 2013 and 2017 for
professional advice on tax audits, wealth management and estate planning. This
came months after Black had said to the media that his family foundation had
cut its ties to Epstein following his 2008 guilty plea.
Comments
Post a Comment