Stephanie Grisham filed a temporary restraining order against Rep. Max Miller on Monday, adding a new legal fight for the Ohio Republican as he faces mounting calls to resign over abuse allegations raised by his ex-wife. The filing deepens a dispute that has moved from personal history into court filings and public statements, with Grisham and Miller now locked in another round of legal and political fallout.
Grisham, the former White House press secretary, dated Miller in 2019 and 2020. Their past has already produced one legal battle: after Grisham published a 2021 op-ed in The Washington Post describing an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, who was then a White House staffer, Miller sued her for defamation hours later before eventually dropping that case. The two also signed a nondisclosure agreement that barred them from speaking about each other in disparaging ways.
The new filing lands while Miller, 37, is already under pressure because of allegations made in a custody dispute by Emily Moreno, who is the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno. She said in court filings that Miller physically abused her and their 2-year-old daughter. Miller denied the allegations, but the political damage has continued to spread. Bernie Moreno said Miller “should not serve in the House of Representatives” and should “seek professional help to end the clear pattern of abuse he has left in his wake.”
That criticism came as Donald Trump also weighed in on Monday, saying, “I always thought he was a very good person, and I’m going to let the families figure that out,” a response that left the central accusation untouched. Marc Dann, meanwhile, said the settlement between Grisham and Miller included promises Miller made to Grisham that were broken, underscoring how their earlier dispute remains entangled with the new one.
What Grisham wants the restraining order to accomplish, and why she filed it now, has not been explained. But the timing is clear: Miller is facing scrutiny from two separate women, one in his family and one from his past, while his political future in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District grows harder to separate from the accusations around him.
