COLUMBUS, Ohio — A contentious divorce between an Ohio representative and his former spouse, who is the daughter of a U.S. senator, has intensified with new court proceedings.
Republican Representative Max Miller initiated a defamation case against Emily Moreno, his former wife, on Wednesday in Cleveland, alleging “the considerable reputational and financial harm” she has inflicted through her claims that he was “a violent and abusive husband and father.”
Miller, currently serving his second term and seeking reelection this November, claims that Moreno, along with her legal counsel Andrew Zashin and his practice, have conducted a defamatory effort against him by distributing deliberately false statements to news organizations such as The Daily Mail, a British publication, and the New York Post. The lawsuit argues that the resulting reputation damage threatens his reelection prospects.
These publications have “circulation measured in the tens of millions of print and online readership,” according to the legal filing, and their coverage has reached Miller’s voters, fellow members of Congress, “his political supporters and donors, the media, and the general public.”
The legal action demands compensatory damages exceeding $25,000, punitive damages adequate to prevent similar future behavior, and legal expenses.
“Congressman Miller is seeking to hold those responsible accountable and to obtain damages for the significant personal, professional, and political harm that he has suffered,” his spokesman said in a statement.
Zashin declined comment.
This situation recalls a comparable circumstance that unfolded when Miller, who served as a White House aide to President Donald Trump during the Republican’s first administration, launched his initial congressional campaign in 2021.
Miller’s previous romantic partner, former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, made accusations in her published work and in a Washington Post editorial piece claiming that a former White House employee later revealed to be Miller had physically harmed her during their relationship. Miller responded by pursuing a defamation case against her. He voluntarily dropped the lawsuit with prejudice in August 2023, shortly before trial proceedings were scheduled to begin.
Moreno’s spokesperson, Stefan Mychajliw, referenced the previous lawsuit in a Thursday statement.
“Mr. Miller is upset because he’s tried to silence Emily Moreno the same way he silenced Stephanie Grisham — and Emily won’t let him,” he said, suggesting Miller is “running the same playbook against a woman with photographs of her bruises and burns.” He added, “Mr. Miller will not silence Ms. Moreno.”
Miller wed Emily Moreno in 2022. They welcomed a daughter in 2023.
He initiated divorce proceedings in August 2024, while her father, Bernie, was conducting a successful Senate campaign with Trump’s endorsement. The abuse claims — including Moreno’s recent allegation that Miller threw boiling water at her, which he disputes — have emerged during a contentious custody dispute that has involved Miller pursuing a restraining order against his former wife and issuing a subpoena for the senator’s testimony. The divorce reached completion last June.
Miller’s spokesperson supplied documentation showing that multiple allegations regarding his abuse of his daughter were examined by the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services and found to be unsubstantiated.
During this ongoing controversy, Democrat Brian Poindexter, a five-term local councilman and union ironworker, is attempting to defeat Miller and turn Ohio’s 7th Congressional District in November.
