Emily Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), filed a restraining order on Thursday against her ex-husband, Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), alleging he grabbed her lawyer before she told her former spouse to let go of him.
The restraining order, filed in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, detailed the alleged encounter between Miller and domestic-relations attorney Andrew Zashin.
“Plaintiff physically touched my counsel without consent,” Emily Moreno said of Miller in the court filing. “After Plaintiff placed his hands on Attorney Andrew Zashin, I told Plaintiff, ‘Get your hands off of him.’”
“Unless restrained, Plaintiff will continue to harass, threaten, and communicate with my counsel directly,” Emily Moreno said.
Emily Moreno and Zashin are the subjects of Miller’s defamation lawsuit, which alleged the defendants disseminated domestic abuse allegations that were then published by national and regional news outlets. Emily Moreno and her legal team moved to dismiss Miller’s lawsuit based on a new Ohio law that protects citizens from lawsuits designed to silence free speech on matters of public concern. Miller denies the allegations.
The divorced couple has also been involved in a bitter custody battle over their 2-year-old daughter. In an apparent bid to get custody of his child, Miller accused his ex-wife of pushing false domestic violence allegations in a separate legal case. He previously moved to dismiss that case. His request was granted by a judge this week.
The restraining order also shows a statement from Miller’s counsel, criminal defense attorney Larry Zukerman, who said during a Tuesday court hearing that his client “just can’t control himself.”
The newly filed court document comes as the embattled congressman faces additional domestic abuse allegations from his ex-wife while he runs for reelection.
Emily Moreno claims Miller, according to the New York Times, “scalded her chest and stomach by throwing hot water from a skillet at her body; held a gun to her head; pushed her against a wall and hit her head; and fractured their daughter’s collarbone and bruised her shoulder.” The report also noted their daughter told Emily Moreno, “Daddy kill you.”
Bernie Moreno has largely refrained from commenting on the familial dispute. His office said the senator’s “top priority is the safety and well-being of his daughter and granddaughter” over politics. Miller once accused his former father-in-law of funding and enabling his daughter’s “malicious campaign” to ruin his life.
Separately, former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham leveled abuse accusations against Miller. The two dated before Miller married Emily Moreno.
Miller, in turn, sued Grisham for defamation as he denied the allegations. The case was settled in 2023, but Grisham is now suing him for breaking the confidential nondisclosure agreement in their settlement by publicly claiming that she fabricated her past domestic abuse allegations against him.
The House Republican is running for a third term to continue representing Ohio’s 7th Congressional District. Trying to hold on to his seat amid a slew of legal troubles, the incumbent will face Democratic candidate Brian Poindexter in November.
Meanwhile, Miller could face ethics scrutiny if Democrats get their way. The Democratic Women’s Caucus has called on the House ethics committee to investigate the Ohio Republican following the latest domestic violence allegations.
“The recent reports of domestic violence and child abuse against Representative Max Miller are deeply disturbing and Congress can’t ignore them. Allegations of violence against women and children have to be met with the utmost seriousness,” Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM), Emilia Sykes (D-OH), and Hillary Scholten (D-MI) said in a joint statement on Thursday.
“We therefore call on the House Committee on Ethics to swiftly and thoroughly investigate these allegations,” they wrote. “Every woman and child deserves to live free from fear of violence, especially within the sanctity of their own home, and we will not stop fighting until that’s the reality.”
GEORGE SANTOS SAYS MAX MILLER SHOULD ‘STEP ASIDE’ AMID DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ALLEGATIONS
Republicans are also not fond of Miller’s alarming conduct, with former Rep. George Santos calling on him to “step aside and go deal with this in private” in an exclusive interview with the Washington Examiner.
Earlier this month, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reiterated that Miller, like any other congressman, should be able to go through the House ethics committee process instead of getting kicked out of the House GOP caucus.