Mica Miller's pastor husband asked to seal the couple's court records. Here's why. (2024)

MYRTLE BEACH — Embattled pastor John Paul “J.P.” Miller, who has publicly said he wants to “disprove all the lies” about his marriage to his late wife, recently asked the court to seal records of her family’s case against him.

J.P. Miller, 45, is in a separation case with the representatives of Mica Miller, who died by suicide on April 27.

Through his attorneys, the pastor of Solid Rock At Market Common filed a motion on June 11 to seal all court records, including pleadings, motions, orders, affidavits, exhibits and other documents pertaining to the case.

His divorce attorneys could not be reached for comment. J.P. Miller has also declined or has not respond to previous comment requests from The Post and Courier.

Before filing the motion, J.P. Miller’s attorney Joi Page asked Regina Ward, the attorney for his wife’s family, to agree to seal the records, according to emails attached to the motion.

Ward’s paralegal wrote back that the attorney typically would consent to sealing a file, but “due to the circ*mstances in this particular matter,” she would not.

Ward could not be reached for comment.

In the new filing, J.P. Miller argued that sealing the court records would avoid “unnecessary prejudice or embarrassment” for him and his late wife, protect proprietary and tax information, protect both parties from libel and protect J.P.’s two minor children, who he argued will be indirectly affected by the case, according to court records.

J.P. Miller also claimed the move would protect his wife’s public image, which he said would be at risk if the records remained public due to “evidence of her mental illness, medical neglect and/or criminal behavior,” though he did not specify what he meant.

The motion also said sealing the records would be “for the safety of everyone involved” and would protect access to medical records involving doctor-patient confidentiality.

“If records were made public, it may cause harm to anyone involved in the case,” the filing stated.

Another reason J.P. Miller wants the records sealed is to avoid disclosing private information about the members of his church, which is also listed as a defendant in the case, according to the filing. Mica had worked as the church’s creative director.

“John-Paul Miller will show that there is just and good cause for sealing the records in that it will ensure a fair trial, allow for witness cooperation and reliance of the parties and/or witnesses upon expectations of confidentiality,” he stated in court documents.

This latest filing comes after J.P. Miller released a TikTok video in which he said he would defend himself against the “lies” he claims his late wife’s family members have told about him.

In the video, which was posted this month before the court filing, the pastor said he is looking forward to presenting “350 pages of proof on what Mica thinks about her family and what Mica thinks about her lawyer, the things her lawyer is saying and the things her family is saying.”

“People seem to forget that Mica corresponded with me more than anybody else on planet Earth,” J.P. Miller said in the video. “I know her heart and I have her text messages, and we’re going to disprove all the lies that are out there.”

He continued:

“There are so many lies out there. It seems like everybody thinks the world is flat,” the pastor said in the video. “But when I get to court, I’m going to show you that the world is round, and you’re going to be shocked at some of the things you’ll see that Mica says. We’re going to find out who actually is responsible for my wife’s death. And Mica will have justice.”

In probate court records, Mica’s family has accused J.P. Miller of abusing her and driving her to live in fear. About six weeks before her death, Mica had called the police on J.P. Miller at least three times, saying that he slashed her tires, tracked her car and shown up at a gas station to harass her, according to police reports.

But the pastor has steadfastly maintained in statements that he didn’t abuse Mica and that he is simply a grieving husband struggling to come to grips with his wife’s untimely death.

This latest motion by J.P. Miller in family court also follows an agreement that his attorneys reached with Ward on June 5 over the custody of Mica’s belongings that she had with her on the day she died.

The agreement, signed by Judge Jan Holmes, stated that Mica’s phone and other possessions collected by investigators will be turned over to Ward, not J.P. Miller. The sheriff’s office will release all items from evidence once its investigation is completed, according to the court order.

After Mica’s body was found at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina on April 27, authorities ruled the 30-year-old’s death a suicide. But her family and friends have continued to push for a deeper accounting of her husband’s behavior during the marriage and the toll they said it took on his young wife.

Sierra Francis, Mica’s sister and appointed special administrator of her estate, has asked the court to grant Mica’s family the appointment of a forensic expert to conduct a financial investigation into the marital estate. The investigation is to account for any “fraudulent transfers of marital property including money and accounts,” according to a May 7 filing.

Mica’s family alleges that J.P. Miller took out two separate mortgages on the home in 2020 and 2021, with the monthly mortgage payments from these two mortgages being paid from joint marital funds.

The family contends this use of marital funds, as well as Mica’s financial contribution to $90,000 worth of home upgrades and improvements, entitles her to equal distribution of the house as a marital asset, according to court documents.

Mica’s family is asking the judge to force J.P. Miller to pay for the costs of the forensic expert and financial investigation, as well as pay for the family’s attorney fees.

But J.P. Miller has denied any and all claims of financial wrongdoing, and he has pushed back against this request, as well as the family’s request for the judge to approve a posthumous name change for Mica.

The change would either restore her maiden name of Mica Francis or it would simply drop her married last name, making it Mica Acacia, her first and middle name. If granted, the death certificate and all other relevant documents would reflect this change.