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The abuses described in a new lawsuit against embattled South Carolina pastors John-Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller (and their respective congregations) are nothing short of horrific. The triggering 46-page pleading (.pdf) – submitted on Wednesday (March 5, 2025) in Horry County – detailed the nightmare an unnamed plaintiff is alleged to have suffered while a student at Cathedral Hall Academy in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The complaint (.pdf), filed on behalf of “Jane Doe 2,” names both of the Millers as defendants along with their religious organizations – All Nations Bible College (f.k.a. Cathedral Baptist Church), Cathedral Hall Academy and Solid Rock Ministries.
Per the pleading, the abuse began in 1999 when Doe was only fourteen years old.
According to the filing, at age sixteen the young girl was told she was a “servant of Satan” – and that she would be “raped by demons.” As punishment, she was beaten with a Bible and water was poured over her head, the complaint alleged.
What purportedly prompted such punishment? The girl brought a Harry Potter book to class, per the filing.
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Cathedral Hall Academy – also called Grand Strand Academy – was a private school run by Reginald Wayne Miller in the 1990s and 2000s. It was an offshoot of Cathedral Baptist Church. John-Paul Miller was a teacher when Jane Doe 2 was a student.
The elder Miller acquired land that was formerly part of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in 1995 – its former chapel and two nearby properties.
“This strategic acquisition was not merely an effort to secure a new place of worship but was a calculated move to utilize federal programs designed to incentivize educational institutions relocating to closed military sites,” the filing alleged. “Reginald Wayne Miller exploited these government incentives to acquire valuable property at a significantly reduced cost, all under the pretense of providing legitimate educational opportunities to the community.”
That same year he established Grand Strand Academy – an institution advertised as a “high-quality educational facility with a focus on academic excellence and the well-being of its students.”
However, Jane Doe 2’s complaint stated that walking into the facility was “walking into a nightmare.”
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The Millers used their standing as church founders and leaders to engage in systemic sexual abuse, emotional manipulation and institutional cover-ups spanning decades, the complaint claimed.
On February 25, 2025, Jane Doe 1 filed suit against John-Paul Miller, Reginald Wayne Miller and their churches. That suit referenced an alleged 1998 sexual assault which began at Cathedral Baptist Church on a Sunday morning during church services – an incident the victim repressed until John-Paul Miller assaulted her again in 2023.
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RELATED | SEXUAL ABUSE, COVERUPS ALLEGED IN NEW LAWSUIT
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Similarly, the most recent filing stated Jane Doe 2 repressed memories of the torments she endured until 2024 – when the national media coverage of the death of Mica Francis Miller, John-Paul Miller’s wife, brought it all back.
Both of the Does are represented by attorneys Randall Hood and Mark Tinsley.
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CHURCH FOUNDERS ACCUSED OF TARGETING MINORS
The new lawsuit alleged that the Millers, as church founders and self-appointed religious leaders, “used their positions as pastors to groom, manipulate, and abuse minors” within their congregation and its affiliated school.
According to the lawsuit, the school was staffed by members of Reginald Wayne Miller’s church and his Bible college. There were no credentials or oversight, the pleading claimed. In some cases, staff members had “deeply questionable backgrounds.”
Shortly after enrolling at Cathedral Hall Academy, Jane Doe 2 claimed she was sexually assaulted by John-Paul Miller in a music room where he “groped the then 14-year-old.” When she reported the incident to a teacher, she was called to the office of Reginald Wayne Miller to find that his son was already there.
“You will not lie about my son!” the elder Miller is alleged to have screamed at her before forcing her to write the phrase “I will not lie about John-Paul Miller” 5,000 times.
The abuse escalated from there as Jane Doe 2 was allegedly subjected to severe bullying and physical abuse from other students who attacked her. Among the acts encouraged by John-Paul Miller involved one student holding her down and spraying insect repellent into her mouth and eyes as others watched, the complaint alleged.
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PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA AND REPRESSED MEMORY
Jane Doe 2’s legal team argued she repressed memories of the abuse due to psychological trauma – a factor that delayed her ability to file suit. Her memories resurfaced in 2024, following media reports on the suspicious death of Mica Francis Miller.
News of Miller’s death was first reported by FITSNews. It quickly became an international news story.
South Carolina’s Code of Laws (§ 15-3-555) provides an extended statue of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. They can file civil claims up to six years after turning 21 or within three years of discovering “their injuries were caused by the abuse.”
Jane Doe 2 is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for “negligence, gross negligence, and reckless misconduct.”
The defendants have not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
Because the complaint is graphic and triggering, please proceed with caution. If you or someone you know is a survivor of abuse, resources are available.
- National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
- South Carolina Victim Assistance Network: www.scvan.org
- RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): www.rainn.org
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THE COMPLAINT…
(S.C. Fifteenth Circuit)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Callie Lyons is a journalist, researcher and author. Her 2007 book ‘Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal’ was the first to cover forever chemicals and their impact on communities – a story later told in the movie ‘Dark Waters.’ Her investigative work has been featured in media outlets, publications, and documentaries all over the world. Lyons also appears in ‘Citizen Sleuth’ – a 2023 documentary exploring the genre of true crime.
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