Leon Black accuses Reuters of trying to “coup” the former Apollo couple

By Jahnavi Nidumolu and Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Leon Black blames former Apollo Global Management (NYSE 🙂 Inc. chief executive for exploiting the millionaire’s relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in an attempt to launch a “coup” and remove him from the investment firm. he founded.

The indictment of Josh Harris was part of a lawsuit filed in a New York state court in Manhattan on Tuesday night, in which Black Guzel Ganieva is defending himself against a lawsuit filed in June, with whom he had a 6-1 / 2-year relationship.

Ganieva, a former model, accused Black of rape and other ill-treatment, and defamed her, saying she tried to commit extortion. Black has denied his claims and filed a defamation and conspiracy lawsuit against him and his law firm.

In Tuesday’s filing, Black searched Ganieva’s phone records to argue that his lawsuit was “the result” of an “Apollo coup and proclamation campaign” by Harris, beginning in 2020, after Black allegedly paid Epstein money. management fees.

Harris was “disgusted” by the fact that Black was “the first of his peers as CEO and executive chair,” according to the file, and saw Black’s ties to Epstein as “an opportunity to take over from Apollo.”

The file said Harris hired Steven Rubenstein, director of public relations, to “help grow the harmful stories” about Black. “He went ahead with a vicious campaign” to get rid of Black after stepping down in January 2021 for the job of CEO of a private equity firm.

Black resigned as CEO and was replaced by Marc Rowan in a review of the Dechert law firm that paid Black Epstein $ 158 million for tax and estate planning. He resigned as president of Apollo in March.

Representatives from Harris and Rubenstein said the men had no relationship or relationship with Ganieva. They also denied the claims of the blacks.

“Mr. Harris has nothing to do with Mr. Black’s worrying situation, and otherwise any statement or implication is inappropriate at best,” a Harris spokesman said.

Rubenstein’s lawyer, Evan Farber, said Black’s claims “provide a constant fabricated conspiracy theory, packed with false information that is not based on reality.”

Apollo announced in May that Harris intends to step down from his day-to-day role.

Epstein killed himself in August 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking.