The ex-wife of Republican Ohio Rep. Max Miller filed a restraining order against the congressman Thursday after accusing him of domestic violence.
Emily Moreno, the daughter of Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, alleged that Miller physically grabbed one of her attorneys, Andrew Zashin, during a recent court hearing and also used a profane slur to insult Zashin’s fiancee as they left the courtroom during a separate hearing in May. The couple already have restraining orders filed against one another.
“Upon seeing Attorney Zashin begin to turn around, [Miller] continued to goad Attorney Zashin into a confrontation by saying ‘Come at me!’ or similar language,” the restraining order said. “Unless restrained, [Miller] will continue to harass, threaten, and communicate with my counsel directly.”
“On Saturday, June 8, 2024, I told Congressman Miller that I was planning to leave him. He got extremely upset. He took hot water from a pan he had just cooked eggs in and threw it at me. Shocked, I fell to the floor and lay there in a fetal position. Congressman Miller took the sprayer from the sink and continued to spray me with hot water.”
After the media reported on the allegation, Miller sued Moreno for defamation, citing “considerable reputational and financial harm.”
The ex-wife told police that Miller caused their two-year-old daughter to suffer from a fractured collarbone with “a bruise that accompanies the injury that appears to be in a handprint and appears to have been inflicted,” according to CBS News. Moreno alleged that when she stayed with Miller, her daughter said, “Daddy kill you.”
Moreno accused Miller in the same report of holding a gun to her head in March 2025 and abusing her in front of their daughter, according to CBS News.
Miller denied all the allegations and accused his ex-wife of making up stories because she is mentally ill. He filed a domestic violence case against her in February, but moved to drop it in May.
“The facts speak for themselves: the court has continued to permit him joint custody of his child. If there were credible evidence supporting these outrageous accusations, that simply would not be the case,” Abigail Angelos, a spokeswoman for Max Miller’s campaign, told CBS News in a statement. “Congressman Miller will continue to vigorously defend his reputation against false and reckless allegations designed to inflame public opinion rather than reflect reality. This narrative has gone on long enough.”
Miller’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
A judge found that Miller “was not under any apparent infirmity and did not appear to have been threatened by or in fear of” Moreno, CBS News reported. Moreno stated in sworn testimony from a May hearing that Miller admitted to being an abusive husband both to her and in writing.
Moreno alleged that Miller made threatening statements against her father. Miller accused his former father-in-law of enabling his “daughter’s malicious campaign to ruin [his] life.”
“It is unfortunate that @berniemoreno continues to fund and enable his daughter’s malicious campaign to ruin my life despite his knowledge of her mental health issues. Bernie, this must be distracting from your job. These antics harm your own grandchild. Anytime you want to put a stop to this, you can,” Miller said.
Moreno’s office told the DCNF that the senator “will do whatever it takes to ensure a just outcome for his family.”
“Senator Moreno’s top priority is the safety and well-being of his daughter and granddaughter,” Moreno spokesperson Reagan McCarthy said. “While he does not litigate these matters in the media or respond to baseless public attacks, he will do whatever it takes to ensure a just outcome for his family.”
Miller told the court that his ex-wife made false allegations against him to their daughter, according to CBS News. He testified that Moreno was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
The congressman is up for re-election in Ohio’s seventh district. He was never charged with a crime and the Department of Children and Family Services did not find evidence of abuse against his daughter, according to ABC News.
Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham accused Miller of abuse in a Washington Post op-ed from Oct. 5, 2021.
(DCNF)