Billionaire Leon Black is accused of raping an autistic 16-year-old girl in 2002 in Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, according to an explosive new lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court.
The victim, identified only as Jane Doe, alleges she was groomed by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who called her a living "doll," to sexually service the late financier and his wealthy friends.
But the abuse took a violent turn when Epstein allegedly handed her off to Black like she was no more than a "ball" at Epstein's East 71st Street property, according to the complaint.
The young girl was terrified of the powerful 6-foot-4 man with a "bulbous nose" and facial "skin tags" who she described as an "ogre."
Leon Black, right, former CEO of Apollo Global Management, is accused of raping an autistic teenager in a new Epstein-related lawsuit. He has denied the allegations. (Rick Friedman/Patrick Fallon via Getty / Getty Images)
Black took Jane Doe by the hand to a massage room and raped her as he demanded to know why Epstein called her his "special girl," the complaint alleges.
After he finished, he allegedly "slammed her into the wall and watched as she slid down to a sitting position — still crying in fear and pain," according to the filing.
Jane Doe was sobbing and bleeding, as she begged Epstein to take her to a doctor, but he allegedly refused and passed her off to Maxwell.
Although Epstein continued to traffic the girl to other men, "the violent and sadistic nature of Black's rape left an indelible mark on her," attorney Jeanne Christensen, of Wigdor LLP, wrote in the lawsuit.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell attend de Grisogono Sponsors The 2005 Wall Street Concert Series Benefitting Wall Street Rising, with a Performance by Rod Stewart at Cipriani Wall Street on March 15, 2005 in New York City. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Black's attorney, Susan Estrich, of Estrich Goldin LLP, said her client never met the alleged victim and called the lawsuit "frivolous and sanctionable."
"These vicious and defamatory lies, masquerading as allegations, have been intentionally manufactured by the Wigdor law firm as part of the firm’s vendetta against Mr. Black for vigorously and successfully defending himself over the past two years," Estrich said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Jane Doe, who allegedly functions at the level of a 12-year-old, was born with Mosaic Down syndrome, a rare condition that involves neurological disabilities and health issues.
Leon Black, chairman and chief executive officer of Apollo Global Management LLC, accused Joshua Harris of plotting his removal from Apollo in an act of revenge for being passed over to succeed Black as chief executive officer. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
But unlike Down syndrome, the ailment doesn't affect a person's outward physical appearance, the suit says.
Jane Doe is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 for Black's alleged violation of a New York City law against gender-motivated violence.
The Wigdor firm at one point represented two other women, Guzel Ganieva and Cheri Pierson, who have also accused Black of sexual abuse.
Black has been dogged for years by his association with Epstein, who was found hanged in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
An ongoing Senate investigation of Black, the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, determined that he paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 to 2017 to help him avoid paying taxes.
Black reached a $62.5 million settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein had a home, to avoid possible claims against him stemming from his relationship with the convicted pedophile, according to the suit.