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(NewsNation) — South Carolina pastor John-Paul Miller and the family of his late estranged wife, Mica Miller, settled their legal disputes Monday and agreed to pursue in her memory a law that would punish a form of abuse known as coercive control.
Any ongoing lawsuits between Mica Miller’s family, John-Paul Miller and his Solid Rock Ministries “have been addressed through a global settlement whose terms are confidential — including control of Mica’s estate,” NewsNation local affiliate WBTW reported.
Mica Miller, 30, was found dead April 27 at Lumber State Park in Lumberton, North Carolina — about 70 miles north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Officials ruled her death a suicide, but the woman’s family has called for a thorough investigation, noting that Mica Miller died while pursuing a divorce. John-Paul Miller denies any involvement in her death and told NewsNation he “saw it coming for years.” Investigators have verified his alibi, and John-Paul Miller faces no charges in connection with Mica Miller’s death.
As a result of the global settlement, John-Paul Miller won’t face any civil wrongful death claims tied to Mica Miller’s death, according to WBTW.
With the ongoing civil matters behind them, Mica Miller’s family and John-Paul Miller have agreed to push for a coercive control law, WBTW reported. They also called off all demonstrations outside John-Paul Miller’s Market Common church.
Coercive control is a “systematic pattern of behavior that establishes dominance over another person through intimidation, isolation, and terror-inducting violence or threats of violence,” according to a 2018 study. Victims of coercive control may find themselves isolated from friends, family, and other support systems, trapped in a relationship because of financial or social barriers, and fearful for their safety and the safety of the people around them.
A South Carolina lawmaker filed a bill four years ago that sought to criminalize coercive control and make it punishable by as many as 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Those efforts stalled, and the law isn’t on the books, but Mica Miller’s family hopes to change that.
“We don’t want to talk about Mr. Miller anymore,” said Regina Ward, the attorney representing Mica Miller’s family. “We want to move forward to the next chapter, and that is getting this (coercive control) law passed.”
Mica Miller accused her pastor husband in court filings of stealing her car, installing a tracking device, hospitalizing her against her will and “grooming” her when she was 10 years old.
In a court affidavit she sent to her attorney about nine days before she died, Mica Miller said she had “been abused in every way I can think of. Emotionally, sexually, spiritually, financially, and physically,” since “the day we became husband and wife.”
John-Paul Miller previously told NewsNation he tried to sound the alarms about his estranged wife’s mental health struggles. If he could go back and do anything differently, he said he would keep her at a further distance from her family.
“I know what I’d do,” he said. “I would not involve her family when she’s having mental episodes. And is schizophrenic and off her meds. I would never have texted them.”
Mica Miller’s family and friends have said they were heeding a different set of warnings.
The woman’s family described John-Paul Miller as feeling like “he owned her,” laying out in court documents alleged patterns of “abuse and violence” and saying she was afraid for her life.
“Mica stated to me on many occasions, ‘If I end up with a bullet in my head, it was JP,’” Mica Miller’s sister, Sierra Francis, said in an affidavit asking to be named the special administrator of Mica’s estate.
WBTW reporters Adam Benson and Adrianna Lawrence contributed to this report.
