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A federal lawsuit alleges that Leon Black, billionaire and prolific artwork collector, raped a 16-year-old lady in 2002 on the Manhattan townhouse of convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In accordance with the lawsuit filed in US District Court docket for Southern New York on Tuesday, the plaintiff, named in court docket paperwork as Jane Doe, was trafficked to Black by Epstein and his longtime accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted on intercourse trafficking fees.
The lawsuit identifies the plaintiff, now in her 30s, as autistic. Doe was additionally born with Mosaic Down Syndrome, a situation that features vital mental delays and disabilities, the lawsuit says.
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Doe was in a position to sue Black below an modification to a New York Metropolis regulation that permits lawsuits regarding gender-based violence to be filed inside a two-year window that started on March 1, regardless of the statute of limitations.
Black’s lawyer, Susan Estrich, advised the Washington Submit that the lawsuit was “frivolous,” and shared an emailed assertion by Black’s spokesman which described the allegations as “completely made up” and “totally uncorroborated.”
“Mr. Black has by no means met this particular person,” the assertion continued.
Black has additionally confronted different rape allegations, which he has denied. In Could, a choose dismissed a former Russian mannequin’s lawsuit, which accused the previous CEO of rape and defamation. One other lady additionally has accused Black of raping her in Epstein’s dwelling.
Final week, the New York Occasions reported that Black paid $62.5 million to the US Virgin Islands in January to keep away from any potential authorized motion over his ties to Epstein. A spokesman for Black advised the newspaper that the settlement contained “no suggestion … that Mr. Black was conscious of or participated in any misconduct.”
Black’s settlement with the Virgin Islands doesn’t cowl claims by anybody else in opposition to Black, and the settlement cannot be used as “proof of wrongdoing by Black,” in response to the doc.
That is the third accusation of rape filed in opposition to Black, a trustee and the previous board chair of the Museum of Trendy Artwork in New York and a recurring determine on the ARTnews Prime 200 Collectors listing.
In a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court docket final 12 months, Cheri Pierson alleged that Black “brutally” raped her 2002 in Epstein’s Higher East Aspect dwelling. Wigdor LLP, who represents Pierson, additionally represents Guzel Ganieva, a former mannequin who in a March 2021 tweet accused Black of sexually harassing and abusing her “for years.” Ganieva claimed that Black had talked about Epstein’s “sexual proclivities” a number of instances and as soon as flew her “to Florida with out her consent, to fulfill the intercourse wants of Epstein, his ‘finest good friend,’” in response to Vainness Truthful.
Black admitted to having a relationship with Ganieva however denied the rape accusation. In October 2021, Black sued the previous mannequin for defamation.
In March 2021, amid mounting rumors of his connections to Epstein, over 150 artists and actions signed a petition asking MoMA to chop ties with Black. He subsequently stepped down as MoMA board chair and as chief government and chairman of the personal fairness agency Apollo International Administration Inc., which he led for over 30 years.
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