Leon Black's Legal Team Ask The Judge To Reconsider The Anonymity Of His Accuser (9/24/26)

Leon Black’s attorneys asked Judge Jessica Clarke to reconsider whether the woman suing him as Jane Doe should continue to be allowed to proceed anonymously, arguing that her own conduct had undermined the justification for keeping her identity hidden. In a January 5, 2026 letter, Black’s legal team pointed to communications Doe allegedly had with people outside the litigation concerning the case and argued that she had selectively disclosed information about herself while also attempting to circulate confidential or sealed material. Black’s lawyers contended that anonymity should not operate as a one-way protection that allowed Doe to discuss the case publicly or with third parties while Black remained bound by court restrictions and unable to publicly identify his accuser. The letter effectively asked the court to revisit the balance between Doe’s privacy interests, the public’s interest in open judicial proceedings and any prejudice Black claimed to suffer from having to defend himself against an anonymous plaintiff.

The request represented a significant change from the beginning of the lawsuit, when Black did not oppose Doe’s request to remain anonymous and the court allowed her to proceed under a pseudonym. Judge Clarke ordered Doe to respond to Black’s challenge, but ultimately ruled in April that she could remain anonymous. The court found that the circumstances still favored protecting her identity, citing concerns about threats to her safety and the confidentiality assurances associated with the separate JPMorgan-Epstein litigation in which she had participated. The judge also found that any prejudice to Black was reduced because discovery remained stayed, and ordered that information capable of identifying Doe continue to be redacted. Black’s legal team therefore succeeded in forcing the court to reconsider the issue, but not in persuading the judge to strip Doe of her anonymity.


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