Ohio Congressman Sued by Ex-Wife Over Release of Sensitive Photos

Emily Moreno, the former spouse of Republican Congressman Max Miller from Ohio, has taken legal action against him, claiming he shared a folder with nude photos of their 2-year-old daughter.

On August 2, Miller publicized a Dropbox folder containing images of their daughter, asserting that this was a move to defend himself against Moreno’s domestic violence claims. Moreno’s legal team has accused Miller and his attorney, Aaron Mink, of carelessly releasing images of their child’s private areas, as detailed in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit points out that, in response to widespread scrutiny concerning his alleged abusive behavior, Miller acted impulsively—providing a plethora of documents and photographs to Mink without considering the implications of the content shared.

Miller responded with a video, flatly denying the allegations and affirming his commitment to continue his re-election campaign. He then shared Mink’s folder on social media, where it garnered over 400,000 views, according to the complaint.

The suit also claims that Miller and Mink did not disclose how often the images were accessed or shared. Furthermore, Moreno’s team has accused Mink of falsely stating that the folder contained only images of topless children.

On August 4, Mink acknowledged he was the one who released the controversial files, citing immense pressure to act quickly. Moreno’s attorney has argued that the contents of the folder are related to child sexual abuse.

The lawsuit claims that both Miller and Mink were aware— or should have been— of the lack of consent from either party for the images to be shared. It also contends that Mink failed to communicate with Moreno to gain her approval, alleging that Miller aimed to publicly humiliate her by sharing sensitive images of their daughter.

In a prior email exchange, Mink dismissed the severe allegations regarding child abuse as “outrageous and false.” He also demanded clarification from Moreno’s attorneys about the leak of a specific letter that implicated the photo in question within the realm of child sexual abuse material.

Moreno is seeking $150,000 for each instance someone accesses, distributes, or downloads the contentious images, as noted in the complaint.

Additionally, Moreno has accused Miller of serious physical abuse, including burning her with boiling water and holding a gun to her head. Miller has categorically denied these accusations. A further point of contention has arisen between the two, with Moreno’s father, Republican Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, claiming Miller was deliberately withholding their daughter’s blue bunny toy. Miller defended himself, asserting that the senator’s claims were false.

Both individuals have filed restraining orders against each other. The Ohio Republican Party finds itself unable to replace Miller as he missed the resignation deadlines. Should he decide not to abstain by August 25, Democratic candidate Brian Poindexter will run unopposed in the November elections.