Latest news with #forMica
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
WATCH: John-Paul Miller confronted after rape claims
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A Myrtle Beach magistrate on Wednesday denied pastor John-Paul Miller's requests for restraining orders against four protesters who have targeted him and his church since the suicide of his wife Mica in April. Miller was in Magistrate Court on Wednesday, a day after being accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in a civil lawsuit. The lawsuit also named his dad, Reginald, and said they fostered a climate of 'sexual abuse and predatory conduct' in their ministry through the years. News13 asked Miller about the rape allegations as he walked into court Wednesday. He would not comment on the lawsuit and said, 'I have nothing to say to y'all.' At least nine people, including Miller's girlfriend, testified on his behalf at Wednesday's hearings, and the judge ruled that there was an 'obvious bias' because all of them were close to him and the Solid Rock Church. The judge also said almost all of them said they could not say for certain they saw the women at protests in January and December. Timeline: The saga of John-Paul and Mica Miller A large group of churchgoers, including Miller's dad were there to support him. Miller testified during Wednesday's hearing that he's afraid someone will die and that many church members are scared and carry Mace with them. The attorney representing the women said Miller made the case a matter of public interest by doing 'national broadcast interviews.' Demonstrators with the 'Justice for Mica' movement have targeted Miller and his Solid Rock ministry since Mica's death. The protests grew out of abuse and harassment allegations that surfaced in the weeks and months following her death, which authorities ruled a suicide. Earlier this month, a judge denied Miller's request for a restraining order against Melissa Post. The ruling came after three of the four incidents cited by Miller in his complaint against Post were stricken during a lengthy hearing. At least two incidents are needed for a restraining order to be issued. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
‘Jane Doe' sues John-Paul Miller and his father, says ministry fostered ‘sexual abuse and predatory conduct' for decades
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A woman is suing John-Paul Miller and his father, accusing both in Horry County Circuit Court of 'sexual abuse and predatory conduct' that often targeted minors over decades. The 43-page complaint alleges that John-Paul touched her genitals without her consent as recently as 2023 and that the assault 'triggered repressed memories' of a previous assault by him that allegedly occurred nearly 20 years earlier when she was 15 years old and he was 19. It doesn't mention whether the woman has provided information to any law enforcement officials concerning her allegations. JP-Miller-lawsuitDownload The lawsuit names the Millers, All Nations Cathedral Church, formerly Cathedral Baptist Church of the Grand Strand and Solid Rock Ministries. Sister station News13 has reached out to her Rock Hill-based attorney Randall Hood for comment. 'The Defendants — both individually and together — have built, maintained and concealed a system of sexual misconduct that harmed numerous minors, including Plaintiff Jane Doe #1,' the complaint says. Timeline: The saga of John-Paul and Mica Miller The woman now lives in Indiana as an adult, and the lawsuit says she is being identified as 'Jane Doe' to avoid the risk of 'humiliation and embarrassment.' In 2023, the woman at the lawsuit's center encountered John-Paul in person during a trip to Myrtle Beach with a friend. That's when he leaned in to hug her 'and shoved his hand down her pants touching her genitals without consent,' according to the complaint. A short time later, the woman and Miller got into a heated argument over use of his title as 'pastor' and citing scripture to justify the assault. 'In response, JPM cited scripture, telling Plaintiff: 'No man is without sin and temptation. God understands that.'' The woman's lawsuit also raises questions about financial dealings of the ministries and their leaders. John-Paul Miller has repeatedly refused to speak with News13, which also reached out to him Tuesday for this story. Attorney Russell Long, who has represented Miller in other legal matters, declined comment when contacted by News13 on Tuesday. News13 also contacted Reginald Miller on Tuesday, who in a text referred a reporter to Long. John-Paul Miller has been embroiled in controversy since his wife Mica's death last April, while he was pastor at Solid Rock Church in The Market Common. Mica's death at the Lumber River State Park near Lumberton in Robeson County was ruled a suicide, but her family and numerous protestors within the 'Justice for Mica' movement have pushed forward with claims that he abused his wife. Court records depict bitter end of friendship between family, embattled Myrtle Beach pastor John-Paul was jailed on an assault charge in November after an incident near the Solid Rock Church, which has since been closed and sold. Prior to that, the FBI searched his home in the Azalea Lakes neighborhood near Myrtle Beach. He also has sued a former paralegal, accusing her of libel and slander on social media, and multiple protesters, though court records show that some of those cases were dismissed. Jane Doe's lawsuit claims the Millers' churches 'operated without adequate protections for minors' and created 'an environment where abuse could thrive.' 'It was part of a calculated plan to groom victims while simultaneously gaining the community's trust and financial support,' the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit also alleges that the Millers failed to put in place policies to protect minors from abuse by adult church members. 'Despite the inherent risks associated with minors in a church, youth programs and church-based mentorship, Defendants failed to implement common-sense safeguards, such as prohibiting one-on-one unsupervised interactions between adults and minors, requiring background checks for all staff and volunteers, and establishing mandatory reporting protocols for suspected abuse,' the lawsuit claims. The Millers' ministry dates back to the early 1970s, when Reginald Miller founded the Florence Tabernacle Church, the lawsuit said. The ministry eventually grew into the Gloryland Bible College and later Cathedral Bible College. The ministry was relocated to Myrtle Beach in 1993 following allegations of sexual misconduct involving Reginald Miller and students of the college, the lawsuit said. That was followed by the creation of Cathedral Baptist Church. 'Over time, in an effort to further distance himself from prior controversies and to maintain operational continuity under a new identity, Cathedral changed names and identities to 'All Nations Church' while remaining under the same centralized control of RWM and his innercircle,' the lawsuit says. Then, in 2013, the operations of All Nations Church were transferred to John-Paul Miller's newly created Solid Rock Ministries, the lawsuit said. The Millers acted as 'alter egos' of all the ministries — 'effectively consolidating them into a single, unified entity that is indistinguishable from one another,' according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also contains past court filings from John-Paul Miller's former wife, Alison, and Reginald Miller's ex-wife, Susan, to support past claims of emotional, physical and 'inappropriate sexual behavior with minors' involving Reginald and John-Paul. 911 calls released after Matthews woman allegedly locked her boyfriend inside a Monroe storage unit for days Both women detailed those accounts as they sought sole custody of their children — Alison in May 2024 and Susan in June 2001. 'J.P. told me that in addition to his affair with Mica, he had employed prostitutes, and been sexually inappropriate with several underage female members of our church,' Williams said in her affidavit. 'He blamed his immoral sexual behaviors on the sexual abuse he experienced for years by his father, [Reginald] Wayne Miller.' Williams said Solid Rock leaders asked John-Paul to enroll in an 'extensive sexual education program,' but he opted not to do so. The woman is seeking unspecified final damages on grounds of negligence, civil conspiracy, assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress and violating the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
