Ezra Miller harassment order lifted – star says they were ‘unjustly targeted’
A harassment order against Ezra Miller has been lifted (Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic)
A temporary harassment order issued against actor Ezra Miller has been lifted by a Massachusetts court.
A Greenfield district court judge ruled on Friday (30 June) that the order against The Flash star, which was issued in June 2022, had been lifted.
The order was put in place after mother Shannon Guin accused Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, of acting inappropriately around her then 12-year-old child, harassing their family and brandishing weapons during their meetings.
Miller never faced criminal charges for the alleged behaviour.
The star’s lawyer, Marissa Elkins, said the original order was based on “untrue allegations” and that Miller was never alone with, and never interacted with, the child except on two brief occasions which occurred in the presence of several other adults.
“Frustratingly for Ezra, Guin lodged her false allegations at a time when Ezra was struggling with significant mental-health issues, and was unable to come to court to defend themself against the spurious claims made by this individual,” Elkins went on to say.
“Had Ezra been able to appear in court last year and share the truth about their very limited interactions with Ms. Guin, I am confident the original order would have never been issued.”
The lawyer’s comments refer to a string of legal issues Miller has faced during the past year, which spread from Hawaii to Vermont.
These included being accused of trespassing in a neighbour’s property and stealing alcohol, throwing a chair which injured a 26-year-old woman, being arrested for a physical altercation at a karaoke bar, alongside allegations of grooming, and providing housing for children on a farm with guns and drugs.
Further addressing this, Elkins said that after a year of therapy “Ezra is doing much better”.
She added: “They were present in court today to ensure that these allegations would not go unchallenged, whether or not Guin returned to court asking that last year’s order be extended.
“Ezra does not deny that in the midst of their struggle, they made mistakes and behaved at times in ways they wish they could take back. That, however, does not make every allegation, rumour or false accusation true.
“There are real-world consequences when claims like these are heedlessly amplified, without any regard for the facts or the truth.
“These false allegations, fanned by unscrupulous media, have threatened Ezra’s recovery, and done terrible damage to their reputation and career.
“Nonetheless, Ezra is in a much healthier place than they were at this time last year and is very glad to put this behind them. They are grateful to their family, friends and community for their love, compassion and support.”
Releasing a statement on their official Instagram account, Miller said they were “encouraged” by the court result and thanked those who stood by them and “sought to ensure that this egregious misuse of the protective order system was halted”.
The star, who also appeared in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, went on to say: “Protective orders are meant to provide safety for individuals, families and children who are in danger. They are not meant to be used as weapons by those seeking attention, fleeting tabloid fame or some sort of personal vengeance, when there are people in true and dire need of these services.
“I have been unjustly and directly targeted by an individual who the facts have shown has a history of such manipulative and destructive action.”
Miller implored the media, who “recklessly spread false claims and failed to accurately report the truth and context of this story [to] hold themselves to a higher standard”.
The star signed off the statement by saying they are working to “preserve [their] own wellness” and “reverse the collateral damage” caused by the order to themself and those around them.
