This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know has a suicide idea, contact Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-Talk (8255).
A new lawsuit has been filed against a South Carolina pastor whose wife Micah Miller took her own life last spring, and a South Carolina pastor who denounced the man for “sexual abuse and predatory conduct” and used the church as a “sexual playground” for decades.
The lawsuit, obtained by Fox News Digital, alleges that John-Paul Miller, now 45, attacked a 15-year-old girl at Sunday School at Miller’s Father Church in 1998.
“For years, John Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller have introduced themselves as devout religious leaders. They have built a reputation as people of the Myrtle Beach community and beyond, dedicated to spreading the Word of God and training future church leaders. But this image was a lie.”
Micah Miller, wife of SC Pastor, told police she was being pursued before suicide: docs
John Paul Miller was previously arrested for assault and battery charges. (Facebook)
The 43-page complaint then accuses 19 (19) of taking the girl to her father’s office, then pushes her outside and sexually assaulting her inside the truck.
The woman who currently lives in Indiana has been identified as “Jane Doe” to avoid the risk of “humiliation and embarrassment.”
Read the lawsuit: Mobile users click here
According to the lawsuit, John Paul was known as a troubled individual with a history of reckless behavior in his father, church leaders and members, according to the lawsuit.
“Behind their religious facades, John Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller engaged in sexual abuse and predatory conduct. They often targeted minors. They used their positions of power to manipulate vulnerable victims while hiding them from the public and misused them,” the complaint continued.
Mica Miller 911 Cole reveals the final moments before her death as NC authorities challenge “conspiracy theory”
Mica Miller died of suicide in April 2024. (Facebook)
“Based on information and belief, this deception has protected them from law enforcement scrutiny and allowed them to continue to leave their misconduct unconfirmed.”
A few years after the initial assault, the same woman reported that she had encountered John Paul in person while traveling to Myrtle Beach with a friend in 2023.
The woman and John Miller were then caught up in a heated debate when they later tried to justify the attack using the Bible Bible.
“This church was a sexual playground for JPM,” the complaint states.
The husband of South Carolina woman Mika Miller says he “took her from death” during pursuit
The office of Holly County Clerk in South Carolina confirmed to Fox News Digital that Mica Miller has submitted three different “support and maintenance” requests. (Facebook)
“Church leaders, including RWM, should have taken on something to protect minors in the church from JPM and other predators,” the lawsuit said. “They didn’t.”
The lawsuit also raised questions about the financial transactions of ministries and their leaders. John Paul has been at the heart of the controversy since his wife passed away last April. Mika, 30, was found dead on April 27th in a self-harmed gunshot wound at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina.
Click to get the Fox News app
Her death shed light on the couple’s tense relationship. According to Fox 8 Greensboro, the pair was separated and Mica filed for divorce two days ago.
Robeson County Sheriff’s Investigators also decided that John Paul and the woman who were allegedly “not in Robson County at the time of Micah’s death” were also determined.
John Paul was arrested in November on charges of assault and battery after reports of conflict with protesters outside his local church and rocks in the Common Market.
The FBI also searched John Paul’s home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in November.
His lawyers’ firm previously told Fox News Digital it had not commented on his wife’s case.
Fox News Digital reached out to John-Paul’s lawyer. His father and their church could not be immediately contacted for comment.
Oudrey Conklin of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, murder, national crime cases, illegal immigration and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
