New court filings and photographs published by the Daily Mail allege that Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller brutally assaulted his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, in a Feb. 1, 2026 custody exchange and previously threw a pot of boiling water at her in June 2024 — escalating an ongoing abuse and custody dispute that has now produced an open child abuse investigation by Bay Village police.

The new allegations, first reported by the Daily Mail and confirmed by the Daily Beast, build on a custody battle TiffinOhio.net first reported in April, when Moreno asked a Cuyahoga County court to modify the couple’s joint custody arrangement, citing “dangerous physical behavior” by Miller in their 2-year-old daughter’s presence.

Miller, 37, was elected to represent Ohio’s 7th Congressional District in 2022 with Donald Trump’s endorsement after working on Trump’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. He filed for divorce from Moreno, 32 — the daughter of Ohio U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno — in August 2024. The couple finalized their divorce in June 2025 and agreed to joint custody, with Miller paying $2,500 per month in child support.

February incident and photographs

According to the Daily Mail’s reporting, Moreno alleges that during a custody exchange at Miller’s home on Feb. 1, 2026, Miller struck her in full view of their daughter, leaving bruises on her arm, elbow, and torso. The Daily Mail published photographs Moreno’s attorneys say document those injuries.

The Bay Village Police Department confirmed to the Daily Beast that officers responded to a report of child abuse that day and that an investigation remains open. No charges have been filed.

June 2024 boiling water allegation and letter

In an earlier alleged incident in June 2024, Moreno claims Miller threw a pot of boiling water at her, with some of it hitting her chest while their daughter was present. Photos obtained by the Daily Mail show redness on Moreno’s chest.

The Daily Mail also reviewed a letter Miller reportedly wrote to Moreno that same day. In it, Miller does not admit to abuse but apologizes for failing to protect her, calls himself “worthless,” and writes that his guilt is “eating me alive.”

“I don’t know what to do. I do know you love me, protect me, and care for me. I failed to do that for you,” the letter reads, according to the Daily Mail. “I’m sorry and I just want to close my eyes and wake up and everything be normal.”

“I know that won’t happen,” it continues. “I’m sorry I failed you and Ruth. It’s eating me alive. I love you, even if you think I don’t. I love you so much. I’m so sorry. I’m just a f--- up and worthless.”

Miller’s response

Miller published a lengthy thread on X on Thursday evening rejecting the Daily Mail’s reporting and accusing the outlet of acting as “stenographers for someone who truly needs help.” He posted what he said were an email from his lawyers to the Daily Mail, transcripts of audio recordings of conversations with Moreno, and footage of Moreno leaving his home after the alleged Feb. 1 incident. Miller also accused Moreno of extortion.

“The moral of the story is this,” Miller wrote. “My ex-wife needs help. She is more focused on hurting me than loving our child.”

Miller’s attorney, Adam Brown, told the Daily Mail his client denies the allegations and said he would provide evidence responding to Moreno’s claims. The Daily Beast reported that evidence had not been provided prior to publication.

According to reporting from People magazine syndicated through AOL, Miller has also accused his ex-father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno, of funding “a malicious campaign to ruin my life.” A spokesperson for Sen. Moreno did not immediately respond to requests for comment from national outlets.

Moreno’s attorney responds

Moreno’s attorney, Andrew Zashin, told the Daily Mail that the photographs corroborate years of denials from Miller.

“These images, combined with the documented history in court filings, directly contradict years of Mr. Miller’s denial,” Zashin said. “Any claim that Ms. Moreno fabricated these allegations collapses in the face of contemporaneous physical evidence.”

“It is unfortunate that these matters have become public when Ms. Moreno has made every effort to keep them private and out of court for the sake of their daughter,” he continued. “But the ongoing pattern of behavior, coupled with the continued denials, has made silence no longer possible.”

Political reaction

The Ohio Democratic Party issued a statement Thursday calling the new allegations “horrific.”

“Some issues shouldn’t be partisan — investigating allegations of abuse and condemning offenders should be one of them, and Max Miller’s record of alleged abuse is disgusting for anyone, and is reprehensible for a member of Congress,” ODP Communications Director Marisa Nahem said. “These new details surrounding the allegations of abuse against Max Miller by his ex-wife are horrific — and Ohioans won’t accept this in November.”

Prior allegations

The new claims are not the first time Miller has been accused of physical abuse. Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, who dated Miller while both served in the first Trump administration, wrote in a 2021 Washington Post opinion piece and in her published memoir that Miller pushed her against a wall and slapped her after she accused him of cheating in 2020. Miller denied the allegation and filed a defamation lawsuit against Grisham, which he voluntarily dropped in 2023. A court denied his request for a restraining order to stop her from discussing the claims.

A 2021 Politico Magazine profile reported that Miller had been charged with assault, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest in 2007 after allegedly punching a man and fleeing police; cited for criminal mischief after smashing a glass door outside a hookah bar in 2010; and charged in 2011 with Ohio’s equivalent of a DUI. The same reporting included accounts from witnesses who described an incident in high school in which Miller allegedly pushed a teenage girl down a flight of stairs at his family home.

Grisham re-shared an earlier post on X Thursday after the Daily Mail report was published. “Today I feel broken over what so many men with money & power get away with,” the post read. “Over & over & over.”

Miller remains the Republican nominee for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District seat in the November 2026 general election.