Billionaire Lawsuit Lawyer Sanctioned for Repeatedly Lying in Court

A U.S. court has imposed sanctions on a law firm whose lawyer engaged in falsehoods and concealed information during a lawsuit against billionaire Leon Black.

Judge Jessica Clarke ruled that attorney Jean Christensen and her law firm, Wigdor LLP, severely obstructed court proceedings by repeatedly making false statements to the court and opposing counsel, and by directing her client to delete social media accounts. The judge considered stronger sanctions, including dismissing the lawsuit, but ultimately decided on a lighter penalty to allow the law firm to rectify its misconduct.

The lawsuit alleges that Leon Black raped a 16-year-old girl in New York City in 2002. The plaintiff claims she was abused and raised by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and subsequently trafficked to multiple men, including Black.