The South Carolina pastor who came under fire in the wake of his estranged wife’s suicide this spring reached a settlement with her family that will end any legal jockeying over the tragedy.
John-Paul Miller reached the settlement Monday — almost exactly three months after his wife, Mica Miller, took her own life while going through a bitter divorce, the Post and Courier reported.
Although the exact terms of the agreement were not disclosed, it is expected to resolve any ongoing disputes in probate and family court — and bars Mica’s family from pursuing wrongful death lawsuits against her ex, the paper reported.
Mica’s sister also agreed to stop trying to be the personal representative of her estate, allowing the pastor to manage his late wife’s affairs following approval from a judge.
“We do not want the Francis family or anyone to be dragged through litigation for years,” Regina Ward, the attorney for Mica Miller’s relatives, said Monday following a probate court hearing for Mica’s estate.
“We want to put this behind us and move on to the next chapter that matters. When we say that we’ve gotten justice for Mica as a result of this settlement, it is true,” Ward added.
Miller, 44, is the senior pastor of Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach and founder of Solid Rock Ministries.
His name made national headlines in April, when Mica, 30, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Lumber River State Park.
Six months before her death, Mica filed for divorce from Miller, whom she accused of “grooming” her starting from when she was just 10 years old and he was in his 20s.
Just over a month before she took her own life, the young wife had also called police on Miller at least three times, alleging that he slashed her tires, tracked her car and showed up at a gas station to harass her, the Post and Courier said.
Miller was in Charleston at the time of Mica’s death, but his late wife’s family still urged police to “deeply” investigate her death and Miller’s possible connection to the incident.
Mica’s loved ones insisted that Miller abused her and made her live in fear, while Miller claimed that her family withheld the medication that kept her mentally stable, according to WBTW.
The back-and-forth brought scrutiny of Miller’s personal life, as his first wife alleged that he was a serial cheater and was “sexually inappropriate” with underage girls in the community.
An unearthed text exchange from 2022 also showed that Miller threatened to show up at Mica’s sister’s home “armed” and “ready” during the breakdown of their relationship.
The backlash spilled over to Solid Rock, where protesters regularly picketed, chanting, “Justice for Mica!”
Following Monday’s resolution, Russell Long, the attorney for Miller and Solid Rock, asked the protesters to move on.
“Mica’s family, Pastor Miller and the church have set their differences aside to allow Mica’s memory to live on without the encumbrance of continuous litigation,” Long told the Post and Courier.
“Those that have sought justice for Mica should feel accomplished in helping the Francis family reach this milestone. Unfortunately, we don’t know every piece of information that led to the death of Mica,” he continued.
“We do know that her life did serve a purpose. Her life mattered. Those that are spending every Sunday morning protesting outside of Solid Rock Church chanting, ‘Justice for Mica,’ should recognize this time of healing and move on with their lives.”
Both parties are looking to lobby state lawmakers for a coercive control law in Mica’s memory, they told WBTW.