Max Miller’s Wife: Abuse Allegations, Leaked Audio, and Lawsuits

Emily Moreno, the ex-wife of Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller, has made three specific abuse allegations against him since their December 2025 divorce: that he held a gun to her head while she changed their infant daughter’s diaper, that he threw hot water on her and then sprayed her with a sink hose, and that he threw her against a wall during a custody exchange in front of their two-year-old. Miller denies all of it. The accusations now sit at the center of a defamation lawsuit he filed, an anti-SLAPP motion she filed in response, a dismissed domestic violence case, mutual restraining orders, and a closed child abuse investigation.¹

The Three Allegations

A Gun Held to Her Head

During a February 2026 police interview in Bay Village, Ohio, Moreno told officers that on a New Year’s Eve, apparently in late 2023 or early 2024, Miller held a gun to her head while she was changing their infant daughter’s diaper. She said she had turned on the light, which angered him. A police incident report noted the gun was allegedly held to her head.¹ Moreno told officers she had disclosed the incident to her therapist at the time but did not report it to police because she feared she would not be believed. She declined to file a formal report during the February 2026 interview.

Miller called the allegation a “complete fabrication” and told police and CNN that his weapons are kept in a locked safe.¹

Hot Water and a Sink Hose

In court filings tied to Miller’s defamation lawsuit, Moreno alleged that on June 8, 2024, after she told Miller she was leaving him, he threw hot water from a pan he had used to cook eggs at her and then continued spraying her with hot water from a kitchen sink hose. She filed photographs she said showed red marks on her arm, neck, and stomach.² Her lawyers also produced a handwritten note they described as an apology from Miller for the incident.³

Miller said the note was not related to any scalding and instead concerned a political dispute with Moreno’s father, U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno.⁴ A court-appointed parenting coordinator, Deborah Koricke, testified at a May 12, 2026, deposition that Miller had confirmed to her that he sprayed Moreno with the sink hose, though he characterized it as a joke.⁵

A Custody Exchange Turned Physical

Moreno alleged that during a custody exchange on February 1, 2026, Miller grabbed her, threw her against a wall, and she fell to the ground. She reported a grab mark on her upper arm and a bruise on her stomach, and said the incident happened in their daughter’s presence.² Miller has disputed the account.

The Leaked Audio

On June 3, 2026, Miller personally provided an audio recording to the New York Post. On the recording, Moreno tells Miller he abused her by pouring “steaming hot water” on her. Miller does not deny it outright. He responds: “First of all, the water incident … I never thought that that hurt you and you know that,” and “I didn’t mean to hurt you. It wasn’t done with intent.” He also tells her: “If you want to accuse me of abuse by showing photos and no video evidence of something that I wasn’t even being abusive for, by all means, go ahead and do that.”¹

Moreno’s team filed the recording with the court as a second supplement to her anti-SLAPP motion, arguing that Miller’s own words established the “substantial truth” of the scalding allegation and that his invitation to share evidence was consent that undercut his defamation claims. The supplement also argued the leak violated a June 1, 2026, order from Visiting Judge Debra L. Boros in the domestic relations case barring both parties from using media or third parties to threaten, harass, or annoy the other.⁶

Miller’s Denials

Miller has categorically denied every allegation. In a Spectrum News interview published June 5, 2026, he said, “I never did any of those things,” and attributed the accusations to what he called Moreno’s “untreated bipolar disorder,” a characterization her attorney Subodh Chandra disputed.⁷ In a half-hour Akron Beacon Journal interview on June 2, 2026, Miller said “Absolutely not” when asked about the allegations and added, “Talk to anyone who knows me. Anyone who knows me would say the same thing.”⁸ He also gave Spectrum News audio he said showed Moreno acknowledging she did not believe he would physically harm her, though she said he caused her emotional and mental harm.

The Child Abuse Investigation Ended Without Charges

Around the time of the February 2026 custody exchange, the couple’s two-year-old daughter was found to have a broken collarbone and a bruised shoulder. Bay Village police opened an investigation alongside a child protection specialist from Cuyahoga County’s Division of Children and Family Services.¹

Miller’s attorney, Larry Zukerman, provided a document attributed to the county that listed Miller as the reported perpetrator in a complaint filed February 19, 2026. The letter stated the findings were “unsubstantiated,” defined in the document as meaning “there is no evidence that child abuse or neglect occurred.”⁹ On May 12, 2026, prosecutors declined to file charges, citing “insufficient admissible evidence.”² Bay Village police confirmed no other open investigations involving either parent.

Where the Lawsuits Stand

Miller’s Defamation Suit

On May 14, 2026, Miller filed a defamation lawsuit against Moreno and her custody attorney, Andrew Zashin, in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. The case, Miller v. Moreno, et al. (Case No. 26-138810), was assigned to Judge Joy Kennedy.⁵¹⁰¹¹ Miller also moved to disqualify Zashin from the custody case, arguing his dual role created an “unwaivable concurrent conflict of interest.”

Moreno’s Anti-SLAPP Motion

On May 27, 2026, Moreno’s legal team, led by Subodh Chandra, filed a motion for expedited relief under Ohio’s Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA), the anti-SLAPP law enacted in 2025 to shield speech on matters of public concern. The motion argued that abuse allegations against a sitting congressman are a matter of public concern, that the one-year statute of limitations for defamation had expired, and that the allegations were substantially true. Moreno denied tipping off the Daily Mail, saying the information was already in police reports and court filings.⁵ If granted, UPEPA requires the court to dismiss the suit with prejudice and order Miller to pay her attorney fees, court costs, and litigation expenses. As of mid-June 2026, the motion remains pending before Judge Kennedy.

Miller’s Dismissed Domestic Violence Case

In late February 2026, Miller filed a domestic violence case against Moreno, accusing her of making false abuse allegations. A judge granted him a protective order but declined to extend it to protect the child from Moreno. In May 2026, Miller’s lawyers admitted that a witness he said was present at the February 1 custody exchange was not actually there. On May 26, 2026, two days before a scheduled hearing, Miller voluntarily dismissed the case without prejudice.¹²

Mutual Restraining Order and Contempt Motion

Moreno requested a restraining order in late April 2026. By early June, a judge issued a mutual order barring both parties from threatening, abusing, annoying, or interfering with one another.¹ Moreno’s team then filed a contempt motion claiming Miller violated the order by giving the New York Post the June 3 interview and audio. Miller’s representative, Chris Vlasto, denied any violation, saying Miller was exercising his right to respond to what he calls false allegations.¹³

Allegations of a Broader Pressure Campaign

In a June 2, 2026, supplemental filing, Moreno alleged Miller had been running a broader harassment and intimidation campaign. She said he deployed a private investigator starting in February 2026 to contact former work colleagues, including people she had not spoken to in six years, and personal friends. She also alleged Miller spread false rumors claiming she had an affair during the marriage, and attached a December 27, 2025, text in which he wrote, “I don’t think you cheated on me at all.” The filing cited a May 30, 2026, Cleveland.com column by editor Chris Quinn reporting that Miller had offered a Washington, D.C., reporter an exclusive interview attacking Moreno, and that when Cleveland.com declined to run it, Miller’s campaign threatened to leak the transcript independently.⁵

An Earlier Abuse Accusation From Stephanie Grisham

Moreno is not the first woman to publicly accuse Miller of abusive behavior. In an October 2021 Washington Post op-ed, former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham accused a former boyfriend, whom she did not name but described as a Trump-endorsed congressional candidate, of being “violent toward her” during their time working in the White House.¹⁴ Miller sued Grisham for defamation in 2021 and later voluntarily dropped the suit.⁷ Moreno’s lawyers have cited the Grisham episode in court filings as part of their argument that Miller’s current defamation claims lack merit.

What It Means for His 2026 Reelection

Miller won his May 5, 2026, primary unopposed and is scheduled to face Democrat Brian Poindexter, a union ironworker and Brook Park City Councilman, in November. The 7th Congressional District is described as solidly Republican.¹ Miller has predicted the dispute will not affect him, telling Spectrum News, “Desperate people do desperate things like my ex-wife, but it doesn’t mean they’re going to be successful.”⁷ His defamation complaint claimed the allegations cost him campaign contributions and business opportunities.¹¹ As of June 2026, no Republican leaders had publicly commented on the situation, and no formal ethics inquiries involving Miller had been reported.

1
CNN. Max Miller Emily Moreno Police Recordings Abuse
2
Columbus Dispatch. Rep. Max Miller’s Custody Fight Includes Abuse Allegations by Ex-Wife
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Cleveland.com. Rep. Max Miller’s Defamation Lawsuit Against His Ex-Wife Spectacularly Backfired
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New York Post. Emily Moreno Reveals Max Miller’s Alleged Apology Letter While Trying to Toss Defamation Suit
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Cleveland.com. Emily Moreno Says Ex-Husband U.S. Rep. Max Miller Threw Hot Water on Her in Motion to Dismiss Defamation Lawsuit
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Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. Moreno’s Second Supplement to Her Motion for Expedited Relief Under UPEPA
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Spectrum News 1. Max Miller Abuse Allegations Moreno
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Akron Beacon Journal. U.S. Rep. Max Miller Predicts Reelection Win Despite Personal Turmoil
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News 5 Cleveland. Police Open Investigation Into Abuse Allegations of Max Miller’s Child
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The Hill. Miller Moreno Custody Battle
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Politico. Max Miller Lawsuit Abuse Moreno
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New York Post. Max Miller Abruptly Drops Key Claims Against Ex-Wife Emily Moreno Ahead of Major Hearing
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New York Post. Rep. Max Miller Accused of Violating Restraining Order Against Ex-Wife
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Washington Post. Former Trump Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham Accuses Congressional Candidate of Abuse