Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) is facing a new federal lawsuit from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, who alleges that the congressman recklessly published a nude photo of their young daughter on the internet. The complaint, filed Wednesday, accuses Miller of sharing the image via a Dropbox link posted to his X account, exposing the child to hundreds of thousands of viewers.
The lawsuit contends that Miller, in an effort to counter Moreno's allegations of domestic abuse, provided a folder of documents and photos to his attorney, Aaron Minc, and then posted the link publicly. According to the filing, more than 400,000 people accessed the folder, and Moreno says she never consented to the release of the images.
“Miller's recklessness is underscored by the fact that any parent knows — in this era and world filled with pedophiles, creeps, and AI-generated image alteration and video generation — not to put nude pictures of their child, or any child, on the public internet,” the lawsuit states.
The suit also criticizes Miller and Minc for refusing to disclose how many times the image was accessed or downloaded. “Despite repeated requests from Ms. Moreno's counsel, Defendants have refused to provide information about how many times Defendants disclosed and transferred the intimate image to viewers who accessed, viewed or downloaded the intimate image,” the filing reads.
Minc has accepted responsibility for assembling the folder, telling Politico he was the “only person responsible for assembling, creating, reviewing, adding, deleting, redacting, or making any changes to the information and files that were in this folder.” However, Moreno's legal team argues that Miller's decision to share the link was itself reckless.
The case is the latest escalation in a bitter custody battle between Miller and Moreno, who divorced last year. Moreno has previously accused Miller of throwing scalding water at her, holding a gun to her head, and possibly breaking their daughter's collarbone. Miller has repeatedly denied these allegations and has vowed to remain in his reelection race despite calls to step aside.
Among those calling for Miller's exit is his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), who told reporters: “When he went out and did what he did — including releasing photos of my granddaughter completely naked, that now you have hundreds of thousands of psychotic human beings that have that — and to say 'oops' is grotesque. My personal opinion is that this is a felony, and that every single human being that touched that photo and transmitted it electronically should go to jail because it is illegal to do that.”
Miller has defended his actions, telling CNN's Jake Tapper that Minc “took full responsibility” and that he did not believe sharing the photo was “shockingly reckless.” The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into Miller, and Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) called the allegations “deeply troubling.” The lawsuit seeks $150,000 in damages for the daughter and a judgment that Miller and Minc violated state and federal laws.
The political fallout continues to grow, with allegations shaking Ohio GOP's midterm hopes and Democratic women lawmakers demanding Miller's resignation. Meanwhile, Trump has warned Miller his reelection is in peril amid the ongoing controversy.
