Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham has asked a court to issue a temporary restraining order against Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) escalating a long-running legal dispute between two former Trump administration officials.
Grisham’s attorney, Mark S. Zaid, announced the move Monday but did not disclose what prompted the request.
“Today we filed for a Temporary Restraining Order against Cong. Max Miller (R-OH) on behalf of former Trump Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham,” Zaid wrote on X, according to Mediaite.
The filing is a request for court protection; available reporting did not indicate that a judge had granted the order.
Grisham, who also served as White House communications director during President Donald Trump’s first term, dated Miller in 2019 and 2020 while they both worked in the administration.
In her 2021 memoir and a Washington Post opinion piece, Grisham described an allegedly abusive relationship with an unnamed former boyfriend who worked in the White House. She later identified Miller in interviews as the man she was describing.
Miller categorically denied abusing Grisham and sued her for defamation, alleging that she fabricated the claims to promote her book and damage his congressional campaign. He dropped the lawsuit in 2023 after the two sides reached a confidential settlement.
That agreement reportedly prohibited Grisham and Miller from making disparaging statements about one another.
Grisham sued Miller again in July, accusing him of violating the agreement while responding to separate abuse allegations raised by his former wife, Emily Moreno.
During a June 5 interview with Spectrum News, Miller said that every allegation should be taken seriously but questioned the timing of Grisham’s claims, noting that they surfaced alongside her book launch.
Grisham’s lawsuit also cited a social media post in which Miller declared that “everything alleged by Stephanie Grisham was fabricated” and that he had never harmed her. The former Trump aide alleges that Miller breached both the confidentiality and nondisparagement provisions of their settlement. She is seeking monetary damages and a jury trial, according to Spectrum News.
The restraining-order request comes as Miller faces intensifying scrutiny over accusations from Moreno, the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio.)
In court filings and police reports, Emily Moreno accused Miller of throwing her against a wall during a custody exchange, pouring hot water on her during their marriage and previously holding a gun to her head. Authorities also investigated how the former couple’s young daughter suffered a fractured collarbone.
No charges were filed in connection with the child’s injury.
Miller has vehemently denied abusing either his former wife or their daughter. His campaign has pointed to his continued joint custody as evidence that the accusations are not supported by the facts.
“If there were credible evidence supporting these outrageous accusations, that simply would not be the case,” campaign spokeswoman Abigail Angelos told CBS News.
Sen. Moreno has nevertheless called on his former son-in-law to leave Congress, saying Miller “should not serve” in the House and should seek professional help. Moreno said he fears for the safety of his daughter and granddaughter whenever Miller has custody of the child, according to reports.
The controversy is also threatening Miller’s bid for a third term.
Trump publicly described the situation as “a very sad thing” Monday and declined to call for Miller’s resignation, saying the claims remain accusations that the families must resolve.
Privately, however, the president reportedly gave Miller a much starker assessment. Trump told the congressman during a Monday phone call that “things aren’t looking good” and repeatedly warned that his reelection campaign would be difficult, three sources familiar with the conversation told Axios.
Miller reportedly responded that his internal polling showed him in a stronger position and insisted that he would remain in the race.
“I’m not getting out of this race, and I’m winning in November,” Miller said Sunday.
