Myrtle Beach pastor John-Paul Miller files suit against paralegal. He’s seeking $6 million
John-Paul Miller, the former pastor of Solid Rock Church and husband of now deceased Mica Miller, filed a libel lawsuit against a Myrtle Beach area woman for saying Miller was involved in Mica’s death.
For damages, Miller is requesting $6 million, and for Melissa Mancari, the defendant, to delete all content related to him, according to the court complaint.
In late April, Mica Miller committed suicide in a North Carolina state park. Following her death, rumors that her husband abused Mica began circulating due to social media posts by Mica before she died and from her family after she died. This sparked a #JusticeForMica movement that is attempting to bring awareness to domestic violence.
Miller has denied abusing Mica and having a role in her death. He declined to comment Wednesday on the suit.
Mancari also did not wish to comment on Wednesday.
The suit, filed on Sept. 16, states that Mancari spoke with Robbie Harvey on his YouTube channel, which has over 100,000 subscribers, about her experiences with Miller as a paralegal at an unnamed law firm.
An employee from Sarah E. Whatley Family Court Attorney said Mancari is no longer employed with the company.
In the interview, she told Harvey that when working as a paralegal, John-Paul called the firm asking for marital legal advice, the complaint stated. She said John-Paul, “told her he wanted to ‘destroy’ his wife, and was seeking an attorney that would help pursue the endeavor.”
She also spoke about how she believes John-Paul either killed Mica or had a role in her death. Mica’s death was ruled a suicide and John-Paul was in Charleston the day of her death, according to police.
Mancari also went on Steph’s Case Files, a TikTok account, and said John-Paul was an abusive husband and is responsible for his wife’s death, again citing her encounters with him as a paralegal.
John-Paul also alleges that Mancari has been filming him coming in and out of his lawyer’s office and posting the videos online, the suit says. John-Paul confronted Mancari about the videos. Mancari went on TikTok again, saying that John-Paul harassed her at work, which he refutes in the lawsuit.
In the lawsuit, John-Paul states that Mancari has knowingly made false statements on social media and to individuals and this harmed his and his family’s overall safety.
For damages, Miller is requesting $6 million and for Mancari to remove all social media posts related to John-Paul.
This story was originally published September 18, 2024 at 10:08 AM.
