Lawyer for Rep. Miller's ex-wife files for restraining order amid abuse claims

By Jacob Rosen Justice Department Reporter Jake Rosen is a reporter covering the Department of Justice. He was previously a campaign digital reporter covering President Trump's 2024 campaign and also served as an associate producer for "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." Read Full Bio July 31, 2026 / 8:54 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The ex-wife of Republican Rep. Max Miller asked a court Thursday to issue a restraining order blocking the two-term Ohio congressman from contacting her lawyer, as her allegations that he assaulted her — which Miller denies — continue to plague his contentious reelection campaign.In court filings, ex-wife Emily Moreno alleged that Miller has repeatedly had physical and verbal altercations with her attorney, Andrew Zashin, after recent court hearings in an ongoing custody battle. The pair already have court-ordered restraining orders against each other. They share a young daughter after a brief marriage that began in 2022 and ended in June 2025.After a May court hearing, Moreno alleged that Miller insulted Zashin's fiancee in front of witnesses at an Ohio courthouse, and alleged that after a hearing this week the congressman physically grabbed Zashin and another attorney."Unless restrained," Moreno wrote in an affidavit, Miller "will continue to harass, threaten, and communicate with my counsel directly." Moreno said that Miller also has "harassed, threatened, and communicated directly" with her past legal teams as well. FILE - Rep.-elect Max Miller, R-Ohio, arrives for new member orientation check-in and program registration with Emily Moreno in Washington, Nov. 13, 2022. AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File Miller represents a Republican-leaning district in the Cleveland area and is running for a third term. Moreno is the daughter of Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno.Thursday's legal developments are the latest in months of court documents and public reports reviewed by CBS News that detail allegations of abuse by Miller against his ex-wife and his child. Miller has strenuously denied all of the allegations against him, pointing to the fact that he still has joint custody of his daughter, and has accused his ex-wife of defaming him and abusing their child herself.According to court documents and police reports, on Feb. 1, Moreno alleged that Miller physically assaulted her during a custody exchange at his residence in Bay Village, Ohio, in front of their daughter. Moreno, a police report alleges, went to pick up the child at Miller's home, where he allegedly "threw" her "against the wall," which "resulted in an obvious grab mark on her upper arm and bruising to her stomach and side where she hit the wall."The officer who wrote the report then details conversations with a county child protection specialist about another alleged incident two weeks later, resulting in the young child being diagnosed with a mid-right clavicle fracture.The officer wrote in the report that a bruise accompanying the injury "appears to be a handprint and appears to have been inflicted."Moreno also told the police that after staying with Miller, the child said to her: "Daddy kill you," according to the police report. When Moreno emailed Miller asking about the statement, Miller denied that the child "would have heard anything like that from him," the police report added.Moreno told police there was another domestic incident in March 2025 between the two, and another incident in which Miller "previously held a gun to her head as well," a police officer wrote after the Feb. 1 report.According to the Feb. 1 report and other court filings from her legal team in the defamation suit, in 2024 Miller "threw onto Ms. Moreno hot water from a pan of eggs he'd just cooked" after she told the congressman she planned to leave him.After that incident was reported in the media, Miller sued Moreno for defamation, citing "considerable reputational and financial harm" caused by her allegations that he was a "violent and abusive husband and father."Subsequently, Miller claimed to an Ohio magistrate judge that his current girlfriend was present at the house for the first alleged February incident, but an attorney for Miller later retracted the statement.Miller filed a domestic violence case against Moreno in February, but moved to drop it three months later. The request was signed off on this week, with a judge finding that Miller "was not under any apparent infirmity and did not appear to have been threatened by or in fear of" Moreno.According to sworn testimony from Moreno in a May hearing pertaining to Miller's domestic violence case against his ex-wife, Moreno said that Miller admitted he was abusive to her and admitted to being abusive in writing. Court transcripts also detail Moreno saying Miller made threatening statements against her father, a first-term senator who was elected in 2024, though there are no specifics mentioned. A spokesperson for Moreno's Senate office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.In an X post from May, Miller criticized his former father-in-law, calling it "unfortunate" that the senator "continues to fund and enable his daughter's malicious campaign to ruin my life despite his knowledge of her mental health issues."Miller and his campaign have denied the allegations against him."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," Abigail Angelos, a spokeswoman for Max Miller's campaign, told CBS News in a statement. "Congressman Miller will continue to vigorously defend his reputation against false and reckless allegations designed to inflame public opinion rather than reflect reality. This narrative has gone on long enough." In a court transcript from after the alleged February incidents, Miller said that Moreno "is making allegations against me to not only abuse to our daughter, but she is making allegations against me to her that never happened." Miller added, "I have video and text message evidence showing the contrary of that. And she's not mentally well, Your Honor." He later said, "I was told by two separate doctors that she was diagnosed bipolar.""I also believe that my ex-wife is purposefully hurting my daughter," Miller alleged, after saying a few months before the hearing that Moreno gave the daughter a black eye. Miller said "absolutely not" when asked whether he caused a collarbone injury to the daughter, and said it was "absolutely not" true that he threw his ex-wife against a wall and grabbed her arm during a custody exchange on Feb. 1. 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 alleged abuse and filed a defamation suit against Grisham, which Miller later moved to dismiss with prejudice. CBS News has also reached out to Miller's House office for comment. Fin Daniel Gómez, Aaron Navarro and Nikole Killion contributed to this report. In: U.S. House of Representatives Rep. Max Miller facing domestic abuse claims Rep. Max Miller facing domestic abuse allegations as he runs for reelection 05:37 Rep. Max Miller facing domestic abuse allegations as he runs for reelection (05:37)