Max Miller And Emily Moreno Divorce Controversy Explained

Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller of Ohio and his ex-wife Emily Moreno, the daughter of Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, have been involved in an increasingly public legal battle following the end of their marriage. Their divorce was finalized in 2025, but disputes over custody of their young daughter have continued and produced allegations of domestic violence, competing court actions, a House Ethics Committee investigation and additional litigation. In September 2026, the dispute generated another controversy after Moreno’s attorneys questioned whether Miller may have used Meta smart glasses to record them during a court proceeding. Miller has denied the abuse allegations and denied using the glasses to secretly record Moreno’s legal team.

Marriage, Divorce And Custody Battle

Miller and Moreno met while working in Republican politics. The two met while working on Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign and later crossed paths again in Washington while Miller served in the first Trump administration. They married in August 2022 and held a wedding celebration at Donald Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, where Trump spoke at the reception. [Washington Post]

The couple had a daughter before their marriage collapsed. Their daughter was born in November 2023. Miller filed for divorce in August 2024, and the divorce was finalized in June 2025. The former spouses nevertheless remained embroiled in a lengthy dispute over custody and parenting arrangements. [AP] [Washington Post]

Emily Moreno’s Abuse Allegations

Moreno accused Miller of holding a gun to her head. During a February 2026 police interview, Moreno described an alleged New Year’s Eve 2023 incident that she said occurred while she was changing their infant daughter. Moreno told investigators that turning on a light angered Miller and alleged that he held a gun on her. A police incident report described the allegation as Miller holding the weapon to her head. Miller denied the allegation and said he did not keep a weapon readily accessible in the manner Moreno described. [CNN] [ABC News]

Moreno accused Miller of throwing hot water at her. In court filings, Moreno alleged that during an argument in 2024, Miller threw water from a pan in which he had been cooking eggs onto her and subsequently sprayed her with water from the kitchen sink. Miller denied throwing boiling or scalding water at Moreno. In an August 2026 livestream, he characterized an incident involving the sink sprayer as “horseplay” and said the water from the faucet was not hot enough to scald her. [Washington Post] [CNN]

Moreno also accused Miller of throwing her against a wall during a custody exchange. She told investigators that during a February 1, 2026, exchange involving their daughter, Miller became angry over parenting time and pushed or threw her against a wall. Miller has denied physically assaulting Moreno. [Washington Post] [ABC News]

Their Daughter’s Broken Collarbone Investigation

The couple’s daughter suffered a broken collarbone in February 2026. Moreno noticed a large bruise near the girl’s neck and shoulder, and an X-ray later confirmed a fractured right collarbone. Cleveland Clinic staff reported the injury to child-welfare officials, who in turn notified police. [Washington Post]

Investigators considered the appearance of the bruise suspicious. Police records reviewed by the Washington Post showed that the bruise appeared to resemble a handprint, including what looked like a thumbprint on the child’s shoulder. Medical personnel involved in the review considered whether someone could have grabbed the child with sufficient force to cause the injury. [Washington Post]

Investigators ultimately could not determine who caused the injury. Police and child-welfare investigators examined the movements of the child while she was moving between the homes of Moreno and Miller and also considered other adults who had access to her. The investigation did not identify a perpetrator, and no criminal charges were filed against Miller or Moreno in connection with the collarbone injury. Miller has repeatedly denied hurting his daughter. [Washington Post]

Miller accused Moreno of causing the injury. Police records showed that Miller initially discussed accidental explanations for the injury before becoming convinced that Moreno was responsible. Moreno told investigators that she suspected the injury might have occurred while the child was with Miller, though evidence reviewed by investigators did not establish who was responsible. [Washington Post]

Miller’s Secret Recordings Of Moreno

Miller secretly recorded conversations with Moreno. During the investigation into their daughter’s injury, Miller told police that he recorded his ex-wife because he believed recordings could protect him during disputes. He subsequently publicly released recordings as part of his effort to dispute Moreno’s allegations. [Washington Post]

Some of Miller’s recordings became part of the public debate over the allegations. Miller released hours of secretly recorded conversations in August 2026 while arguing that the material proved Moreno was making false allegations against him. Reporting on the recordings noted that at least one conversation included discussion of the water incident Moreno had described. [CNN]

Miller Sues Moreno For Defamation

Miller sued Moreno and her lawyers for defamation. In May 2026, Miller filed a lawsuit against Moreno, attorney Andrew Zashin and Zashin’s law firm, alleging that they had conducted a defamatory campaign portraying him as a violent and abusive husband and father. Miller said the allegations harmed his reputation, finances and reelection campaign. [AP]

Moreno sought dismissal of Miller’s defamation lawsuit. Moreno’s legal team argued that her statements involved matters of public concern and sought to have the suit dismissed under Ohio law. She continued to maintain that her allegations against Miller were true. [Washington Examiner]

Restraining Order Dispute Involving Moreno’s Lawyers

Moreno accused Miller of confronting and physically touching her attorney. In a July 2026 filing, Moreno alleged that Miller grabbed attorney Andrew Zashin after a court proceeding, causing her to intervene and tell Miller to take his hands off him. She also alleged that Miller attempted to provoke Zashin into a confrontation. Miller disputed the allegations. [Washington Post] [CBS News]

Moreno sought an order restricting Miller’s contact with her attorneys. Her filing alleged a pattern of unwanted communications and confrontations involving members of her legal team and asked the court to prevent Miller from directly interacting with them. [CBS News]

The parties reached an agreement limiting contact with opposing lawyers. In August 2026, Miller and Moreno agreed that future depositions would take place at neutral locations and that neither party would have contact with opposing counsel outside depositions or court proceedings. Lawyers for both sides publicly characterized the resolution as favorable to their respective clients. [News 5 Cleveland]

Meta Smart Glasses Recording Allegation

Moreno’s attorneys questioned whether Miller used Meta smart glasses to record them in court. The New York Post reported on September 1, 2026, that Moreno’s legal team raised concerns about smart glasses Miller wore during a July 28 court hearing. The attorneys questioned whether the glasses had been used to capture private conversations involving Moreno’s lawyers. [NY Post]

Moreno’s lawyers sought access to the glasses for inspection. Because Meta smart glasses contain cameras and microphones capable of recording hands-free video and audio, Moreno’s attorneys asked that Miller make the device available so it could be examined for evidence of recordings from the hearing. The request was based on suspicion that recording may have occurred; it was not a finding that Miller actually recorded the attorneys. [NY Post] [Meta]

Miller denied secretly recording Moreno’s legal team with the glasses. His attorneys rejected the accusation and characterized the request to inspect the device as another attempt to harass Miller and distract from the underlying custody dispute. As of September 1, no publicly reported court finding had established that Miller used the glasses to record anyone during the hearing. [NY Post]

Meta smart glasses can record video and audio from the wearer’s perspective. Meta says its glasses incorporate a camera and microphone system that allows users to take photographs and record video and audio through a button or voice command. Meta-designed glasses include a capture light intended to alert nearby people when recording is underway. [Meta]

Miller’s history of making private recordings became part of the smart-glasses dispute. Moreno’s attorneys cited Miller’s previous recording of private conversations as a reason for questioning whether the glasses might have been used in court. Miller has openly acknowledged recording Moreno and publicly released some of those recordings during the dispute. [NY Post] [Washington Post]

Sensitive Photo Of Their Daughter Published Online

Miller released a large collection of documents while publicly defending himself. During an August 2 livestream, Miller said he would make evidence from the custody dispute available so the public could evaluate the accusations against him. His team subsequently published a link to a publicly accessible Dropbox containing documents and images. [AP] [Washington Post]

The files accidentally included a sensitive image of the couple’s young daughter. Moreno later filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit alleging that Miller and attorney Aaron Minc recklessly published an unclothed photograph of the child in which intimate parts of her body were visible. The image remained publicly accessible for hours before it was removed. [Washington Post]

Miller’s attorney accepted responsibility for the disclosure. Minc said he had failed to redact the final pages of one document and described publication of the image as an accidental mistake. Moreno nevertheless alleged in her lawsuit that Miller and his attorney had acted recklessly in distributing the material. [Washington Post]

House Ethics Committee Investigation

The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into Miller. On August 4, 2026, the bipartisan committee announced that it was reviewing allegations that Miller may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use in violation of congressional conduct standards. The committee emphasized that opening the review did not mean that Miller had committed any violation. [House Ethics Committee] [AP]

Miller publicly welcomed an ethics investigation. Shortly before the committee announced its review, Miller said he intended to request an investigation of himself in order to clear his name and said he would provide documents to investigators. [AP]

Bernie Moreno Turns Against Max Miller

Sen. Bernie Moreno publicly condemned his former son-in-law. Emily Moreno’s father initially said little publicly about the custody dispute but broke his silence in August 2026. He said his daughter lived in fear of Miller and argued that Miller did not meet the minimum character standards required to serve in Congress. [AP] [Washington Post]

Bernie Moreno said Miller should no longer serve in the House. Moreno described the ordeal involving his daughter and granddaughter as extraordinarily painful and said Miller should leave public office. Miller responded by accusing Moreno of politicizing a family dispute and continued denying the allegations against him. [AP]

Earlier Stephanie Grisham Abuse Allegation

Miller had previously faced an abuse allegation from former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. Grisham wrote in 2021 about an abusive relationship with an unnamed former partner from the Trump administration. Miller quickly sued her for defamation, and Grisham later publicly identified Miller as the person she had described. Miller has denied abusing Grisham. [Washington Post]

Miller and Grisham later entered an agreement restricting public attacks on each other. Miller ultimately dropped his defamation case, and the former couple agreed not to disparage each other publicly. In August 2026, Grisham sought a temporary restraining order alleging that Miller had violated that agreement through public statements about her. [Axios] [People]

Political Fallout

The allegations became a major issue in Miller’s 2026 reelection campaign. Miller rejected calls to withdraw from the race for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District and repeatedly said he intended to remain a candidate. The controversy drew national attention because of Miller’s ties to Donald Trump, his service in the first Trump administration and his family connection to Sen. Bernie Moreno. [AP]

Donald Trump publicly stopped short of calling for Miller to resign. Trump described Miller as someone he had regarded as a good person and said the families should work through the dispute, though AP reported that Trump privately warned Miller that his reelection prospects appeared difficult. Miller continued to insist that he would remain in the race. [AP]