Emily Moreno, the daughter of Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, filed for a restraining order against her ex-husband, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), on Thursday, seeking to block the two-term congressman from contacting her lawyer as allegations of domestic abuse continue to shadow his reelection campaign.
In court filings, Moreno alleged that Miller has repeatedly had physical and verbal altercations with her attorney, Andrew Zashin. Most recently, she claimed that Miller physically grabbed Zashin during a hearing on Tuesday, prompting her to tell the congressman: “Get your hands off of him.” After a May court hearing, Moreno alleged that Miller insulted Zashin’s fiancée in front of witnesses at an Ohio courthouse.
“Unless restrained,” Moreno wrote in an affidavit, Miller “will continue to harass, threaten, and communicate with my counsel directly.” The pair already have court-ordered restraining orders against each other and share a young daughter after a brief marriage that began in 2022 and ended in June 2025.
The filing comes as Miller’s own domestic violence case against Moreno was formally dismissed this week. According to court documents, 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. Miller had filed that case in February but moved to drop it three months later.
According to police reports and court filings reviewed by CBS News, Moreno has accused Miller of multiple incidents of physical abuse. In a February 2025 incident, Moreno alleged that Miller threw her against a wall during a custody exchange at his Bay Village home, resulting in a grab mark on her upper arm and bruising to her stomach and side. A police report also details allegations that their young daughter was diagnosed with a mid-right clavicle fracture, with a bruise that “appears to be a handprint and appears to have been inflicted.”
Moreno has also alleged that in 2024, Miller threw hot water from a pan of eggs onto her after she told him she planned to leave. Miller denied the allegations and sued Moreno for defamation, citing “considerable reputational and financial harm.” The defamation suit has been challenged by Moreno’s legal team under Ohio’s anti-SLAPP law, which protects citizens from frivolous lawsuits designed to silence speech.
Miller has strenuously denied all allegations against him. In a statement to CBS News, campaign spokeswoman Abigail Angelos said: “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.” Miller has also claimed that Moreno struggles with mental health issues and has accused her of defaming him and abusing their child.
Moreno is not the first woman to accuse Miller of abuse. Stephanie Grisham, a former White House aide in President Trump’s first term, accused Miller of physical abuse in a book and a Washington Post op-ed. Miller denied the allegations and filed a defamation suit against Grisham, which he later moved to dismiss with prejudice.
Miller represents a Republican-leaning district in the Cleveland area and is running for a third term. His reelection campaign now faces scrutiny as the domestic abuse allegations and legal battles continue to unfold in public court filings and police reports.
Sources
- CBS News — detailed account of the restraining order filing, court documents, and allegations of physical abuse
- The Washington Post — reporting on the restraining order filed Thursday and the alleged physical contact between Miller and Zashin
- ABC News — coverage of Miller’s reelection campaign facing scrutiny and police reports on domestic abuse allegations
- People Magazine — reporting on the restraining order and allegations that Miller grabbed Moreno and insulted her lawyer’s fiancée
- New York Post — coverage of Miller’s domestic violence case being dismissed and the judge’s finding
