Coverage spread: 2 sources — 1 left · 1 center
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- Emily Moreno, ex-wife of Rep. Max Miller, filed for a restraining order against him over alleged confrontations with her attorney, Andrew Zashin.
- The two already have mutual court-ordered restraining orders stemming from a contentious custody battle over their young daughter.
- Miller has publicly and repeatedly denied all abuse allegations, including a Feb. 1 incident allegation, and says he will not drop out of the 2026 reelection race.
- Moreno is the daughter of Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, adding a political dimension to the personal dispute.
- CBS News provides extensive detail — direct quotes from Moreno’s affidavit, police report specifics, and Miller’s livestream remarks — while no article text was available from The Hill to compare framing.
- The Hill’s headline frames the story explicitly around the Ohio House race implications, suggesting a more politically focused angle than CBS’s more legally detailed account, though this can’t be confirmed without its full text.
What was filed in court this week
Emily Moreno, the ex-wife of two-term Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller, asked a court on Thursday to issue a restraining order barring Miller from contacting her attorney, Andrew Zashin. In an affidavit, Moreno alleged that Miller has repeatedly confronted Zashin after hearings in their ongoing custody dispute. She said that after a May hearing, Miller insulted Zashin’s fiancée in front of witnesses at an Ohio courthouse, and that after a hearing this week, Miller physically grabbed Zashin and another attorney. Moreno wrote that “unless restrained,” Miller “will continue to harass, threaten, and communicate with my counsel directly,” adding that he has done the same to her previous legal teams.
The underlying custody battle and abuse allegations
Miller and Moreno, the daughter of Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, married in 2022 and divorced in June 2025 after a brief marriage; they share a young daughter. The two already have court-ordered restraining orders against each other stemming from the custody fight. Court documents and police reports reviewed by CBS News describe a Feb. 1 incident in which Moreno alleges Miller physically assaulted her during a custody exchange at his home in Bay Village, Ohio, in front of their daughter — allegedly throwing her against a wall and leaving a grab mark on her arm and bruising on her stomach and side. A police report also references a second alleged incident about two weeks later involving the child, which led to a diagnosis referenced in the report (details cut off in available reporting). Miller has denied assaulting his ex-wife or his daughter, points to the fact that he retains joint custody as evidence against the claims, and has accused Moreno of making unsupported “serious and destructive” allegations and of abusing the child herself.
Miller’s public response
Miller addressed the allegations directly in a livestream on X on Sunday, denying any abuse and suggesting the timing of the claims was aimed at influencing the custody proceedings rather than reflecting genuine safety concerns. He declared he has no intention of dropping out of his reelection campaign, telling viewers, “I’m not getting out of this race, and I’m winning in November.” Miller represents a Republican-leaning district in the Cleveland area and is seeking a third term.
How the coverage differs
The available reporting comes almost entirely from CBS News, which lays out the timeline of court filings, police reports and Miller’s public denials in detail, including direct quotes from Moreno’s affidavit and Miller’s livestream. The Hill’s article on the same story carries a headline referencing the abuse allegations and their impact on the Ohio House race, but no article text was available for comparison, so it’s unclear whether it emphasizes the political stakes of the race more heavily or adds different details. Because only one outlet’s full text is available, it is not possible to say with confidence where coverage genuinely diverges in framing or emphasis beyond what CBS reports.
Why this matters beyond the courtroom
The dispute is playing out publicly at the intersection of family court and electoral politics. Miller is a sitting member of Congress running for reelection in a district that favors Republicans, and his ex-wife is the daughter of a sitting U.S. senator from his own party, adding an unusual layer of political entanglement to a personal legal fight. The new restraining order request, targeting Miller’s conduct toward opposing counsel rather than Moreno herself, suggests the conflict has expanded beyond the two parties to include repeated confrontations with legal representatives at the courthouse. With Miller publicly committing to stay in the race through November despite the allegations, the story is likely to keep intersecting with his campaign as further court proceedings unfold.
Sources
Featured photo: Brian Thorpe via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)