U.S. Rep. Max Miller is facing a lawsuit from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who alleges he shared a nude photograph of their 2-year-old daughter to undermine her claims of domestic violence and drug abuse against him. The federal civil-rights complaint was filed Wednesday in Ohio.
Moreno, daughter of Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, has accused Miller of domestic violence and drug abuse. Miller has denied all allegations. The lawsuit claims Miller provided the nude photo of their daughter to his attorney, Aaron Minc, for use in discrediting Moreno's accusations.
According to the suit, the image was linked from Miller's X account on August 2, hours after he posted a video defending himself against Moreno's abuse claims. Moreno's lawyers stated that the posts directing followers to the image folder received over 400,000 views before the file was removed. The photograph was reportedly taken as part of an inquiry into an injury the toddler sustained.
The filing accuses Miller and Minc of breaching state and federal law, citing statutes covering non-consensual disclosure of intimate images, invasion of privacy, negligence, and civil conspiracy. Damages are sought at $150,000 for each instance the image was accessed, transferred, distributed, or downloaded.
Minc has previously acknowledged the accidental publication of a document containing the photograph and issued an apology. The Daily Mail first reported the abuse accusations in May, which include a claim that Miller threw hot water on Moreno.
The House Ethics Committee has formally opened an investigation into the domestic violence and drug abuse accusations. Miller himself called for the investigation.
Miller, who has denied all wrongdoing, has refused to resign from Congress or drop his re-election bid. He was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in May.
In an effort to clear his name, Miller released files last weekend, including audio recordings of arguments with his ex-wife regarding syringes she claimed to have found near his bed. In one recording, Moreno stated, "I have gone into your backpack because I truly do believe you have a drug problem." Miller repeatedly denied drug use in the recordings, invoking his "Jewish word of honor."