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U.S. Rep. Max Miller sues ex-wife for defamation in custody battle
U.S. Rep. Max Miller, R-Bay Village, who is involved in an ugly divorce and custody battle that’s made national headlines, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Elizabeth Moreno, his ex-wife and the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno.
Miller, who is up for re-election this year for his Ohio 7th Congressional District seat, claims his ex-wife has made false statements that accuse him of physical abuse in several national tabloid stories. Miller denies being abusive toward either Elizabeth or their young daughter.
Miller claims in the suit, filed May 13 in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, that Moreno made allegations against him in their ongoing custody dispute, then “engaged in a defamatory campaign against (him) to malign his character, undermine his odds at re-election to Congress, and falsely portray him as a violent and abusive father and husband.”
Miller, who served in President Donald Trump’s first administration, is suing his ex-wife, Andrew Zashin, her Cleveland attorney, and his law firm. He claims Zashin made untrue statements about him to the media and then republished these comments on the firm’s website.
The Beacon Journal has reached out to Zashin and Aaron Minc, Miller’s attorney.
The couple's divorce has been the subject of bold headlines in numerous media outlets, including the Daily Mail, TMZ and the New York Post. Besides filing a lawsuit, Miller also has responded to the allegations his ex-wife has made against him in social media post, including comments on X, formerly Twitter, directed at both her and her father.
Miller's OH-7 seat includes southern and western Cuyahoga County, all of Medina and Wayne counties and part of northern Holmes County. He was first elected in 2022 and was unopposed in the May 5 primary. He faces competition in the Nov. 3 election from Brian Poindexter, a Democrat and Brook Park City Council member.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at [email protected] or 330-996-3705. Beacon Journal reporter Amanda Garrett contributed to this story.