Less than a year after his wife Mica Miller’s suicide, Pastor John-Paul Miller of Solid Rock at Market Common in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has been accused of raping a 15-year-old girl more than 25 years ago and sexually assaulting her again in 2023.
The allegations against John-Paul Miller by the woman identified as Jane Doe #1 from Indiana appear in a 43-page lawsuit filed in the Horry County Circuit Court in South Carolina Tuesday.
Named as defendants are Miller, his father, Reginald Wayne Miller, and their connected religious organizations — All Nations Cathedral Church, Cathedral Baptist Church of the Grand Strand and Solid Rock Ministries.
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“For years, John-Paul Miller … and Reginald Wayne Miller. .. have presented themselves as devout religious leaders. They built their reputations in the Myrtle Beach community and beyond as men of faith, dedicated to spreading God’s word and training future church leaders. But this image was a lie,” the lawsuit states.
“Behind their religious facade, John-Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller engaged in sexual abuse and predatory conduct — often targeting minors. They used their positions of power to manipulate and exploit vulnerable victims while concealing their actions from the public.”
The Indiana woman is suing the defendants for negligence, civil conspiracy, assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress and violation of the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act.
The Millers are accused of running their ministries not just to serve God but to further their “predatory behavior.”
“The churches and their related entities operated without adequate protections for minors, creating an environment where abuse could thrive. Upon information and belief, this was not accidental — it was part of a calculated plan to groom victims while simultaneously gaining the community’s trust and financial support,” the complaint contends.
The lawsuit references Mica Miller’s April 27, 2024, suicide at Lumber River State Park in Robeson County, North Carolina. Many of Pastor John-Paul Miller’s critics have argued he played a role in his late wife’s death, which he has denied. He has not been charged in connection with her death even after an FBI search of his home last November.
“Recently, the death of John-Paul Miller’s ex-wife, Mica Frances Miller, has once again drawn attention to both John-Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller,” the lawsuit states. “Mica Frances Miller’s relationship with John-Paul Miller was deeply troubled. Upon information and belief, it exemplified the power and control he exercised over women in the church.”
“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 filing added.
According to Jane Doe, on or about July 19, 1998, she encountered John-Paul Miller, a 19-year-old youth leader, in a hallway near his father’s office at the Cathedral Baptist Church where they engaged in a “seemingly innocent conversation.”
John-Paul Miller is accused of forcing her into his father’s office, where he allegedly overpowered her before moving her to his truck on the property “where he raped her” at the age of 15.
“At the time of the assault, Plaintiff was a virgin,” the lawsuit says.
The victim claimed that in the months that followed, she struggled with shock, shame and fear, while exhibiting “clear signs of trauma, including severe depression, social withdrawal from family and friends, declining academic performance and emotional distress and self-doubt.”
According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe was not equipped to effectively process the rape she experienced at the time it happened, so she repressed it.
“At the time, she did not fully comprehend the nature of what had happened to her or the extent of the harm it caused. The trauma was deeply buried, and for decades, she had no conscious recollection of the assault,” the lawsuit stated.
It wasn’t until another alleged abusive encounter with John-Paul Miller in 2023 while she was out with a friend that the repressed memory came flooding back.
“Despite being in a public setting, [John-Paul Miller] leaned into Jane Doe #1 as if to hug her and shoved his hand down her pants touching her genitals without consent,” the lawsuit notes.
Sworn affidavits from Alison Williams, John-Paul’s ex-wife, and Susan Miller, Reginald Wayne’s ex-wife, allege that both men were sexually inappropriate with minors.
“Plaintiff is informed and believes that JPM openly admitted to engaging in sexual misconduct with minor female members of Solid Rock Ministries, an admission that was corroborated by multiple witnesses,” the lawsuit says.
“In her sworn affidavit, Alison Williams (formerly Miller) testified that JPM confessed to her that he had been sexually inappropriate with several underage female members of their church. JPM attempted to justify his behavior by blaming his own history of childhood sexual abuse by his father, RWM,” it continues.
“Williams’ affidavit further states that when JPM’s sexual misconduct became known to the church leadership, he was ordered to enroll in a sexual addiction rehabilitation program. However, upon information and belief, he never complied.”
The filing accuses John-Paul Miller and his church leadership of working “to suppress the allegations and silence victims, enabling his continued leadership within the church.”
“This failure to investigate and allowing JPM to maintain access to young congregants allowed him to continue his predatory behavior,” the lawsuit adds.
Contacted by MyHorryNews Wednesday, John-Paul Miller’s attorney Russell Long said he had no comment on the lawsuit. John-Paul Miller has declined to comment on the allegations when reached by media outlets.
Court records previously reported by The Christian Post show that before her suicide, Mica Miller filed for divorce from her husband in October 2023, but the reasons were not stated.
The case was eventually dismissed in February. But a few days later, Pastor Miller filed for “Separate Support and Maintenance,” seeking financial support. Mica Miller would file for similar support in April 2024. A hearing was scheduled for June 5. On April 27, two days after she served her husband with divorce papers, Mica Miller was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to her head in Lumber River State Park in Orrum, North Carolina.
In a sworn affidavit shared on X by Protestia and filed as part of her application to serve as special administrator for her sister’s estate, Sierra Francis said Mica Miller had served her husband with divorce papers on April 25 and was looking forward to being free of him.
“My sister was hopeful for her future after filing for divorce from John-Paul,” Francis wrote in the affidavit.
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