Lawyers for Leon Black, the billionaire investor accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a teenage girl inside Jeffrey Epstein's New York townhouse in 2002, reached out to a powerful federal judge in 2024 to raise doubts about the alleged victim's claims, a Guardian investigation has found.
The move set off a months-long court proceeding conducted outside public view, leading US District Judge Jed Rakoff to reverse a $2.5 million award granted to the alleged victim in a separate Epstein-related class action lawsuit, according to court records. She was later given a much smaller settlement in that case.
Jane Doe, as she is known in court filings, claims she was trafficked by Epstein and raped by Black when she was a teenager more than two decades ago. The Guardian's investigation reveals new details about private communications in Black's legal campaign that undermined Doe in her civil lawsuit against the Wall Street billionaire.
Court Setback and Sanctions
In a recent court order, Doe faced a significant setback when Judge Jessica Clarke, presiding over her civil lawsuit against Black, sanctioned Doe and her former lawyer for what she termed 'serious, sanctionable misconduct.' Judge Clarke said Doe's former lawyer had 'repeatedly lied to the court and opposing counsel' and directed her client to destroy a social media account. Doe was sanctioned for having 'falsified' some sonogram images that appeared in personal journals submitted as evidence of her abuse by Epstein. However, the judge also ruled that the high-stakes lawsuit could proceed.
Black, the 74-year-old former Apollo Global Management CEO, paid Epstein $170 million, according to a Senate Finance Committee investigation, which he says was for tax and estate planning. Black has denied allegations that he raped or ever met Doe, who is now 40 years old. He has never been charged with any crimes in connection to Epstein or otherwise.
The Epstein scandal has prompted questions about why the accused sex trafficker's elite circle has not faced greater scrutiny. Black is due to testify before the House Oversight Committee on June 26 as part of its investigation into Epstein's sex-trafficking rings. He also faces questions from Senator Ron Wyden, who claimed in a recent letter that Epstein files released by the Department of Justice 'remove any lingering doubt' as to whether Black was 'connected to women in Epstein's network' and alleged that 'powerful associates in the US and abroad were surveilling and paying off women on [Black's] behalf.' Black's attorney, Susan Estrich, called Wyden's assertions 'outrageous and false' in an emailed statement, characterizing the senator's comments as a 'politically motivated attack.'
Private Appeals to Judge Rakoff
The Guardian's investigation, based on access to extensive court records, many still under seal but due to be unsealed soon, reveals how Black and his legal team's private pleas to a federal judge led to a legal battle involving extensive written submissions and multiple hearings in a case where he was not a party. It included an extraordinary personal appeal from Black to Judge Rakoff, a well-known jurist in the Southern District of New York. The written message, obtained by the Guardian, portrayed Black as a victim, invoking the death of his father, disputing Doe's credibility, and citing damage to Black's reputation. It was submitted by the billionaire's lawyers days before Rakoff denied the $2.5 million award Doe was due to receive in the Epstein-related class action lawsuit.
In another twist, Black's legal effort was bolstered by a high-profile lawyer publicly heralded as an advocate for Epstein's victims. All these communications occurred outside public view.
In an exclusive statement to the Guardian, Doe said: 'We are often taught that the justice system is there to protect victims and correct wrongs. My experience has shown me that it is far more complicated than that. Justice is not always blind. It is often shaped by power, access, and who is able to withstand the process. I am still here. And I am not done.'
Jane Doe Takes Leon Black to Court
In July 2023, Jane Doe alleged in a legal complaint filed against Leon Black in the Southern District of New York that Jeffrey Epstein introduced her to Black at Epstein's townhouse in late spring of 2002. She was 16 years old. Black, worth an estimated $14 billion, was chair and CEO of Apollo Global Management until he stepped down in March 2021, following revelations he had paid tens of millions of dollars to Epstein. Black has said the payments were for legitimate financial advice and that he was 'completely unaware' of misconduct by Epstein, who in emails released earlier this year by the Department of Justice sometimes referred to Black as 'Mr Big.'
Apollo announced in January 2021 that an internal review by the Dechert LLP law firm, commissioned to investigate Black's 'previous professional relationship' with Epstein, found Black's payments were for 'bona fide' financial services and that there was 'no evidence' Black was involved in Epstein's criminal activities. That review has since faced scrutiny, including by Senator Wyden, who claimed his staff uncovered evidence that money paid by Black to Epstein 'was used to finance Epstein's sex-trafficking operations.' Black's lawyer called Wyden's 'attack' on the Dechert report 'completely baseless.'
In her legal complaint, Doe alleged that Epstein told her Black was his 'special friend' and that because she was Epstein's 'special girl,' he had chosen her to give Black the same kind of 'massage treatment' she gave him. Doe understood this meant she was expected to strip naked and have sex. But when Doe and Black went up to a third-floor massage room, she alleged, Black threw her down on the massage table, abused her vaginally and anally with sex toys, bit her vagina causing bleeding and extreme pain, and then raped her when she reflexively kicked him.
Doe alleged that the internal abrasions from the attack continued to cause her pain more than 20 years later. The complaint describes Doe as having autism, with an above-average IQ but neurodivergence making her 'extremely trusting.' In a subsequent amended complaint, claims about the alleged assault remained substantially the same, though some key details about how Doe said she met Ghislaine Maxwell and was trafficked changed significantly, according to a later court order. The Guardian has not independently verified any of Doe's claims.
Black's attorneys have said Doe's allegations are 'entirely fabricated' and have called for the Wigdor law firm, which represented Doe until last year, to be legally sanctioned for relying on 'false allegations and made-up stories' in other cases.
JPMorgan Class Action and the $2.5 Million Award
Even as she pursued a civil lawsuit against Black, Doe was involved in another legal case in the Southern District of New York connected to Epstein's crimes. In 2022, a class of Epstein victims sued JPMorgan Chase, alleging the bank violated anti-sex-trafficking laws due to its involvement in Epstein's sex-trafficking operation. The victims were represented by Bradley Edwards, a Florida plaintiffs' lawyer famous for helping to expose the 2008 non-prosecution agreement that shielded Epstein for years. The JPMorgan class action lawsuit, overseen by Judge Rakoff, settled for $290 million in June 2023 without an admission of liability, though JPMorgan said it regretted its association with Epstein. It included a fund for Epstein abuse survivors, and a claims administrator was appointed to oversee the fund.
In late October 2023, Doe was interviewed by the claims administrator and later found out she was being allocated $2.5 million. It was a moment of elation for Doe, her adoptive mother told the Guardian, because it was the first time she felt her trauma was being recognized.
Judge Rakoff approved the claims administrator's proposed allocations on January 5, 2024, including the allocation for Doe. But he said he intended to exercise an 'oversight role' to ensure the allocation was 'fair and reasonable.' The oversight role would be ex parte, meaning each side could make their case without the other side being aware. It was unusual for Rakoff, who has spoken publicly about the importance of transparency in the justice system.
Within days of Doe finding out about her $2.5 million allocation, her Wigdor lawyer, participating in a mediation with Black's counsel involving another client's case, disclosed that Doe had been allocated a major award in the JPMorgan settlement, according to a chronology described in a 2026 court order. Black's counsel, Susan Estrich, then contacted Judge Rakoff on Black's behalf.
In a February 21, 2024 private and undocketed letter to Rakoff, Estrich claimed Doe was perpetrating 'serious fraud' on the court and was not a real Epstein victim, according to a court order. Estrich acknowledged the outreach was 'unorthodox.' Estrich declined to comment on questions about this exchange. In the letter, Estrich asked Rakoff to open an inquiry into Doe and the allocation, saying she had 'reason to believe' that court-appointed class counsel Brad Edwards and other lawyers 'would have directly relevant information.'
Estrich's letter succeeded: Rakoff and Edwards agreed to take a 'closer look' at Doe's claim, court records show. Legal experts consulted by the Guardian said such an intervention raised questions, as outside legal interventions in a proceeding are quite limited. Sam Issacharoff, a professor of constitutional law at New York University, said that if a lawyer for a defendant accused of rape writes to a judge in a class action where that alleged victim has a claim, it could be seen as a way of 'harassing them and calling their testimony into disrepute.'
The Guardian reached out to Judge Rakoff for comment. His law clerk said in an emailed statement that the majority of Epstein-related proceedings before Rakoff have been sealed at the request of counsel for Epstein's victims to protect identifying information, and that all parties consented. The clerk added that Rakoff is prohibited by law from responding to questions relating to an ongoing proceeding before Judge Clarke.
A Call from Attorney Brad Edwards
On August 2, 2023, this reporter reached out to Leon Black's spokesperson with questions about financial and sexual allegations related to Black's ties to Epstein, including one question about Doe's lawsuit. Two days later, Black's team responded with a statement from Estrich predicting the case would be 'promptly dismissed.' Later that same morning, this reporter received an unexpected call from Brad Edwards, class counsel in the Epstein victims' lawsuit against JPMorgan. Edwards said that when a particular case gets attention, people call with stories about being victims of Epstein, and he has to sift through to see if they are true. 'Not one piece of [Doe's] story could ever be corroborated and a lot of what she says just definitely could not have ever happened,' Edwards said. He said the timeline of Doe's claims 'can't make sense for many reasons' but could not say more because it could 'expose other clients.' After making these comments, Edwards said he wanted his remarks to be 'off the record,' but this reporter had not agreed to that before the information was shared.
Edwards, it would later emerge, appeared to have had other dealings with Black's lawyers months before that phone call. The New York Times reported in 2023 that Edwards attended a multi-day mediation between Black's counsel and lawyers representing the US Virgin Islands, concluding with Black paying a $62.5 million settlement in January 2023 to be released from potential claims related to Epstein's sex trafficking in the territory. Edwards declined to comment at the time, and Black said the settlement was meant to resolve potential claims from 'unintended consequences' of payments to Epstein.
The Inquiry and Personal Appeal
Six months after Edwards' call, a court order in Doe's lawsuit against Black showed that Edwards and his colleague Brittany Henderson sent a sealed letter to Judge Rakoff as part of the inquiry into Doe's claims, describing her account as 'inconsistent' and expressing doubts she was a 'veritable victim of Epstein and his associates.' Days later, Doe's then-lawyer Jeanne Christensen sent her own letter to Rakoff, criticizing the intervention by Black's lawyers and accusing class counsel of acting improperly. Christensen also disclosed that Doe had kept journals from ages 16 to 19 documenting her abuse, which had been kept in a storage unit. The journals contained magazine clippings, sonograms, and text written in a simple zigzag code. One entry states: '...Mr Black is so important for some reason over my health. There is going to be hell to pay. I ruined their trip and I am dramatic when that fat fuck bit me! He threw me on the floor and blood all over Jeffreys carpet and I am the issue?' Another entry contains a typed copy of Sylvia Plath's poem 'Stopped Dead' with the name Leon Black handwritten next to the title.
In a statement to the Guardian, Black's lawyer said the Guardian was ignoring the 'outlandish nature' of claims in Doe's journals, such as 'that she had been trafficked by Epstein to 50 different men,' including powerful politicians.
On March 15, 2024, Rakoff convened the first hearing in the Jane Doe inquiry, sealing the courtroom. Doe was put on the stand and cross-examined by Edwards. Doe's adoptive mother, who was present, said Edwards' questioning was 'surreal' and 'aggressive and invasive,' adding that she was shocked by his tone, especially since he was class counsel meant to safeguard her. Black's lawyers were barred from attending.
A court order filed publicly in April 2026 by Judge Clarke disclosed that Doe's testimony was 'at times, far-fetched,' including claims of being the victim of an 'impregnation game' and forced to carry out pregnancies. Doe testified that Epstein fathered four of her five children, though her lawyer later said she was only sharing what Epstein told her. Judge Rakoff considered the journals 'central' to determining Doe's credibility and appointed an expert to assess ink dating, but results were inconclusive.
Rakoff convened another hearing on July 8 via Zoom without lawyers present. Among other topics, he asked Doe about her relationship with Maxwell and the frequency of trafficking. 'Just so the claimant understands,' Rakoff said, according to a transcript excerpt, 'all of us, I feel, have a great deal of sympathy for you. You've had a very harsh life and our hearts go out to you.'
The inquiry culminated on July 19, 2024, with an extraordinary letter to Rakoff from Black's attorneys Estrich and Michael Carlinsky, containing a personal, emotional appeal from Black. The lawyers stated they learned from a colleague at Paul, Weiss law firm that Rakoff had raised the question of whether Black might settle with Doe. Black had no interest in settling, they wrote. 'The idea of settling with Jane Doe, Douglas Wigdor and the Wigdor firm is repellent to every core value I hold dear,' Black stated. 'From childhood, my father, a former rabbi, taught me the importance of Shem Tov [Hebrew for 'A Good Name'].' Black said Doe's lawyers had 'disregarded the truth and behaved in what I believe to be profoundly unethical ways.' He added: 'Not since my father's death 49 years ago have I felt such pain and seen such hurt inflicted on those I love... I cannot settle with Jane Doe and the Wigdor firm, not only because of the damage their lies have caused, but more importantly, because I don't know how I could look my children and grandchildren in the eyes and teach them the importance of Shem Tov.'
Invoking his father's death was a striking choice. Black's father, Eli Black, was a socially prominent New Yorker and CEO of United Brands. On February 3, 1975, Eli Black killed himself by jumping from his 44th-floor office in the Pan Am Building. After his death, it was revealed he had authorized a $2.5 million bribe to the president of Honduras. The rising federal prosecutor who charged United Brands was a young Jed Rakoff. Judge Rakoff declined to comment on questions about the personal message. As with other documents, Rakoff did not enter the letter into the public docket.
Lawyers and legal experts said they found Rakoff's decision to make his oversight role ex parte unusual. Chris Seeger, a class action lawyer, said class actions require a 'level of transparency' where everything is out in the open. Rakoff ruled to rescind Doe's $2.5 million JPMorgan allocation in its entirety on July 31, 2024, less than two weeks after receiving Black's appeal. He also withdrew Doe from the US Virgin Islands Mental Health Fund for Epstein survivors.
For Doe, it was a crushing blow, her adoptive mother told the Guardian. As Doe would recount in a sealed court declaration, Black's letter 'was accepted without notice to me and was apparently considered prior to a final ruling, despite raising emotionally laden arguments about [Black's] character and suffering. Meanwhile, I was never permitted to submit a narrative, impact statement, or rebuttal.' She also had 'serious concerns about inappropriate influence and access,' saying she had 'no equivalent means' of communicating with the court.
The sealed declaration also hit back against claims made by Brad Edwards. Doe claimed Edwards asserted that no other victims had recognized her, even though he had only consulted two individuals. She said Edwards dismissed 'physical evidence' supporting her connection to Epstein, including photographs from Martha's Vineyard, by stating Epstein had not been there, though evidence subsequently reported by ITV News and the New York Times shows otherwise. Edwards did not respond to questions about Doe's claims.
Doe also pushed back against claims by an investigator working for Black's legal team that she had a 'personality disorder' and that her biological family said she had a 'history of making up alternate realities.' Medical documentation submitted to the court confirmed her autism diagnosis and PTSD from long-term sexual abuse, with no history of personality disorder or psychosis, a source said.
Doe was urged by her attorneys to appeal Rakoff's decision, but on August 21, 2024, just three weeks after rescinding her $2.5 million award, Rakoff signed off on a stipulation granting Doe a $200,000 settlement, making her eligible again for the USVI Mental Health Fund. Rakoff did not respond to questions about this settlement.
Recent Ruling and Case Proceeds
Last month, on April 23, Judge Clarke issued a 76-page ruling in response to Black's motion to dismiss. She found that Doe's former lawyer Jeanne Christensen and Doe had 'engaged in serious, sanctionable misconduct.' Christensen had 'lied repeatedly to the court and to opposing counsel' about the JPMorgan inquiry and 'directed' Doe to 'destroy a relevant social media account.' Clarke also wrote that Doe had 'falsified' three of 11 sonogram images in her journals. Wigdor withdrew as counsel for Doe days after disavowing the sonograms. Doe is now representing herself.
Estrich, Black's attorney, said in a statement: 'The only thing that matters is that a federal judge found as a matter of fact that Jeanne Christensen, the Wigdor law firm and Jane Doe lied... They are being punished by the federal court. Nothing they say has any credibility. They are liars and should be completely ignored.' While the order was widely seen as a serious rebuke, Judge Clarke said the misconduct 'need not doom' Doe's case, and the case will proceed. Christensen did not respond to questions. Douglas Wigdor said in a press statement: 'While we are upset about the sanction, we are pleased that our former client will get her day in court.'
In a letter submitted to Judge Clarke this week, lawyers for Wigdor and Christensen asked for permission to file a motion for reconsideration under seal. Wigdor also recently filed a separate lawsuit against Black, claiming he has deployed 'multiple frivolous and malicious lawsuits' as retaliation for representing accusers. His lawyers rejected the claims.
In her statement to the Guardian, Doe said she began her case seeking accountability but believes it has 'become something much broader.' She wrote: 'It has become about what happens when a system meant to provide justice instead becomes another source of harm. I have faced retaliation, misrepresentations, public scrutiny, and repeated efforts to undermine my credibility. I have been left to navigate this process alone, with limited time, limited resources, and overwhelming personal cost. There were moments when I did not know if I could continue. But I made a promise to myself that I would not stop.'
