U.S. Rep. Max Miller, who is in the middle of a heated custody battle with his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, denies ever physically abusing her or any other woman.
“Absolutely not,” Miller said during a half-hour interview with the Akron Beacon Journal on June 2. “Talk to anyone who knows me. Anyone who knows me would say the same thing.”
Moreno, the daughter of U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, alleges Miller abused her during and after their three-year marriage. The allegations are coming to light as Miller faces competition from Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter in November to hold onto his 7th District seat in Northeast Ohio.
Miller said he’s speaking out because he wants his 2-year-old daughter to know the truth.
“My daughter will grow up one day and needs to know her father never did these things,” Miller said.
Moreno told Bay Village police earlier this year that Miller threw hot water on her, burning her, and threw her against a wall during a custody exchange. She didn’t request a police investigation, and Miller wasn’t charged.
Photos Moreno took of her alleged injuries appeared in The Daily Mail, a British tabloid, and in a recent court filing.
Miller has denied these accusations and is suing Moreno for defamation in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Moreno’s attorneys filed a request for dismissal, claiming Miller’s lawsuit falls under Ohio’s new anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) law that protects people from being sued when they are speaking about matters of public interest.
Moreno provided an affidavit with the dismissal request that details what she says happened in the boiling-water incident.
Miller claims Moreno’s mental illness has fueled her false allegations
Miller said he and Moreno married in August 2022 after dating only a few months.
Miller said he didn’t get along with Bernie Moreno, Emily’s father, because their politics didn’t align, though both are Republicans who have been endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Miller filed for divorce in August 2024 and has recently been locked in a heated battle with his ex-wife over custody of their daughter. He claims Moreno suffers from a mental illness and that this has fueled her false abuse allegations against him.
“She is a very troubled young lady,” Miller said. “When she didn’t get what she wanted, she went off the rails.”
Moreno’s attorneys deny she is mentally ill and have questioned why Miller agreed to give her primary custody of their daughter if he believed she was unstable. Miller and Moreno agreed to joint custody in their divorce, but each are now seeking sole custody.
Miller provided the Beacon Journal with an audio recording of what he says was a conversation between Miller and Moreno in which Moreno says she doesn’t think Miller would hurt her physically, but that he has harmed her emotionally and mentally.
Miller said this recording, which he said was made in August 2024, will be part of the evidence in his defamation suit against his ex-wife and Andrew Zashin, her attorney in the custody suit.
Moreno’s attorneys have said Miller has shown a pattern of suing women to try to silence them after they accuse him of abuse.
“The only thing I can say is that I’ve continued to live my life incredibly honestly,” Miller said in response.
Miller says he isn’t worried about his re-election chances
Asked if he was concerned whether his very public dispute with his ex-wife could hurt his chances of re-election, Miller said he found this question “a little insulting.”
He said he isn’t worried.
“The people of our district know who I am,” he said. “If people want to make the election about personal trauma and not about policy, that would be a grave mistake.”
Political pundits, though, have said Miller’s personal drama could put him in jeopardy even though his district is considered solidly Republican. The district encompasses Medina and Ashland counties and parts of Cuyahoga and Wayne counties.
Miller, who was first elected to Congress in 2022 and re-elected in 2024, made his own prediction.
“We are going to win this election – by a lot,” he said.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3705.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Rep. Max Miller denies ex-wife’s abuse allegations: ‘Absolutely not’
Reporting by Stephanie Warsmith, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Stephanie Warsmith, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
