A Guardian investigation has uncovered how lawyers for billionaire investor Leon Black, accused of raping a teenage girl inside Jeffrey Epstein's New York townhouse in 2002, privately contacted a federal judge in 2024 to cast doubt on the survivor's claims. This intervention raises serious questions about the fairness of the legal system for survivors of sexual abuse, particularly when their alleged abusers wield immense wealth and influence. The accuser is known in court documents as Jane Doe; Black denies he ever met or raped her.

The private communication triggered a months-long, closed-door court proceeding, resulting in Judge Jed Rakoff reversing a $2.5 million award initially granted to Doe in a separate Epstein-related class action lawsuit, according to court records. The survivor then received a much smaller settlement. This demonstrates how powerful individuals can manipulate the legal system to further victimize those who come forward with allegations of abuse.

Doe alleges she was trafficked by Epstein and raped by Black more than two decades ago, when she was a teenager. The Guardian's investigation reveals the extent of Black's legal campaign to undermine Doe's civil lawsuit against him. In a recent court order, Judge Jessica Clarke, presiding over Doe's civil lawsuit against Black, sanctioned Doe and her former lawyer for "serious, sanctionable misconduct."

Judge Clarke stated that Doe's former lawyer had “repeatedly lied to the court and opposing counsel” and instructed Doe to destroy a social media account. Doe was sanctioned for “falsified” sonogram images that appeared in personal journals submitted as evidence of abuse by Epstein. While these actions by Doe and her lawyer are concerning, they do not negate the underlying allegations of abuse. Critics argue that focusing on these missteps risks further silencing survivors and diverting attention from the alleged perpetrator's actions. Despite these sanctions, the judge ruled that the lawsuit could proceed.

Black, the 74-year-old former Apollo Global Management CEO, paid Epstein $170 million, according to a Senate finance committee investigation. Black maintains that the payments were for tax and estate planning. He denies raping Doe and claims he never met her. He has never been charged with any crimes related to Epstein or otherwise.

The Epstein scandal has exposed the ways in which the wealthy and powerful can exploit their resources to evade accountability for their actions. Black is scheduled to testify before the House oversight committee on June 26 as part of its investigation into Epstein's sex-trafficking rings. Senator Ron Wyden has also questioned Black, claiming that newly released Epstein files remove any doubt about Black's connection to women in Epstein's network, and alleged that Black's associates surveilled and paid off women on Black's behalf.