Miller, a two-term Republican congressman running for reelection this fall in Ohio’s 7th District, turned a long-running divorce dispute into a new legal fight when he filed a defamation lawsuit in Cleveland on May 14 against his ex-wife, Emily Moreno. In the complaint, Miller cited what he said were “considerable reputational and financial harm” stemming from accusations Moreno made about him and from allegations he said have been amplified through media coverage.
Miller’s filing describes a divorce feud that has already involved court proceedings over custody and protective orders, with Moreno accusing him of domestic abuse that Miller denies. The suit alleges Moreno and her attorney, Andrew Zashin, along with Zashin’s law firm, took part in what Miller calls a “defamatory campaign” by spreading information Miller said is knowingly false to outlets including The Daily Mail, a British tabloid, and the New York Post, according to the AP report.
The complaint also seeks damages they said would compensate Miller for harm to his reputation and financial interests, and it asks for punitive damages “sufficient to deter future similar conduct,” as well as attorney’s fees. Miller’s spokesman said the lawsuit seeks to “hold those responsible accountable and to obtain damages for the significant personal, professional, and political harm that he has suffered,” the report said. Zashin declined comment.
Moreno, through her spokesperson Stefan Mychajliw, disputed Miller’s framing after the suit was filed. Mychajliw pointed to Miller’s earlier lawsuit tied to prior allegations, saying: “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,” according to the AP report. Mychajliw added, “Mr. Miller will not silence Ms. Moreno.”
The AP report said the defamation case echoes an earlier episode during Miller’s first attempt at Congress in 2021, when Miller was a White House aide to President Donald Trump during the first term. At the time, Stephanie Grisham, a former girlfriend who also served as White House press secretary, raised allegations in a book and in a Washington Post op-ed that Miller physically abused her while they were dating. Miller later filed a defamation lawsuit against Grisham, and he voluntarily dismissed it with prejudice in August 2023, shortly before a trial date was to take place, the AP report said.
Miller and Moreno married in 2022 and had a daughter in 2023, the AP report said. The divorce filing came in August 2024, as Moreno’s father, Bernie Moreno, pursued a U.S. Senate bid backed by Trump, the report said. The divorce was finalized last June.
The AP report said abuse allegations have accompanied a messy custody battle that included Miller seeking a restraining order against Moreno and Moreno’s attorney seeking to involve the senator. The report also said the most recent accusation Moreno made— that Miller threw boiling water at her—was denied by Miller, and it said Miller provided documentation that several allegations Moreno made about Miller abusing their daughter were investigated by the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services and found to be unsubstantiated.
Amid the ongoing divorce and election contest, the AP report said Democrat Brian Poindexter, a five-term local councilman and union ironworker, is seeking to unseat Miller and flip Ohio’s 7th Congressional District in November.