A Massachusetts mother has been granted a temporary order of protection on behalf of her 12-year-old child against Ezra Miller, the 29-year-old actor who stars in the upcoming Warner Bros. superhero movie “The Flash.”
The court order, issued Wednesday by the Greenfield District Court in Massachusetts and seen by NBC News, said it “was issued without advance notice because the Court determined that there is a substantial likelihood of immediate danger of harassment.”
The order does not contain any allegations against Miller.
The mother, who spoke on the condition that their names be withheld out of privacy concerns, said she and her child met Miller in February through an acquaintance. She said Miller first seemed friendly but that she soon grew suspicious of Miller’s relationship with her child. She said she told the judge that Miller offered to buy the child gifts, including a horse, even after she rejected Miller’s earlier offers.
“I kept wondering why Ezra was here. Like, don’t you have Hollywood stuff to do? Don’t you have movies coming out?” she said.
The order of protection adds to what is now a three-month series of allegations directed at Miller that started with disorderly conduct charges in Hawaii and has since grown to include accusations from parents of child grooming. The allegations against Miller have also prompted online furor pitting Miller’s aggressive fan base that maintains their innocence against people calling for the authorities and Warner Bros. to take action.
Miller, who identifies as nonbinary and uses the pronouns they and them, has been a rising movie star for more than a decade, with their starring role in “The Flash” set to become their most high-profile role. Variety reported that as of June 2, Warner Bros. planned to release “The Flash” with Miller in 2023 as planned. Miller and their representatives did not respond to repeated requests for comment, and Miller has not otherwise responded to the grooming allegations. Representatives for Warner Bros. did not respond to requests for comment.
Miller has been arrested twice this year, both times in Hawaii, on charges of disorderly conduct and second-degree assault. Miller was released from jail on $500 bond after their first arrest and pleaded no contest to one count of disorderly conduct, paying a $500 fine. A couple in Hawaii petitioned for a temporary restraining order against Miller in March and accused the actor of bursting into their bedroom and stealing personal records, including a passport and wallet, after staying with the couple. Weeks later, the couple voluntarily dropped the order.
During that time, Miller routinely posted on Instagram with a group of people that included Tokata Iron Eyes, an 18-year-old nonbinary person who, according to legal documents filed in Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Court, has known Miller since they were 12. On Thursday, Miller’s verified Instagram account was deactivated. Instagram confirmed on Friday that it did not remove the account.
Chase Iron Eyes, a lawyer and well-known Indigenous environmental activist who is Tokata’s father, filed for a protection order against Miller in early June, according to TMZ, in an effort to end what he described to the court as an abusive relationship between Miller and Tokata that has escalated in recent months. On June 7, the court granted an interim order that asks Miller to cease contact with the Iron Eyes family, including Tokata, and not to come within 100 yards of the Iron Eyes’ residence. The judge has scheduled a hearing on the petition for July 12.
Iron Eyes said in a phone interview that Tokata has been with Miller for several months. He said that police in Vermont have attempted to serve Tokata with an order for a substance abuse and mental health evaluation that was granted by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Court. NBC News viewed a statement of nonservice from the Bennington County Sheriff’s Department in Vermont that says attempts were made to serve Tokata three times.
Iron Eyes told the court that he has had intermittent contact with Miller and Tokata during this time, which has led him to believe that Miller has physically and psychologically abused Tokata. Iron Eyes wrote in the petition for a protection order that he retrieved Tokata from Miller’s residence in early 2020 after Miller told him that they had given Tokata LSD. Iron Eyes wrote that he observed bruises on Tokata’s body before Tokata reunited with Miller, who Tokata has been traveling with since.
Tokata has responded publicly to their parents’ claims in a statement and video posted on Tokata’s Instagram account. The statement says, “My choices are my own, and as to the nature of police intervention in my ‘case’ it is unnecessary and it is a waste of time and resource.” The video features only Tokata, who says, “Nobody is controlling my Instagram account.”
The same Instagram account responded to a direct message from NBC News with an email address. An email sent to the account was not answered. On Tokata’s Instagram page, a recent post stated that Tokata wished to be called Gibson. Iron Eyes’ father said he has not heard Tokata say they want to be called Gibson.
Iron Eyes wrote in the petition for a protection order that Tokata first met Miller in 2012, when the actor appeared with Indigenous protesters as part of the anti-Dakota Access Pipeline movement. Four years later, when Tokata was 12, he said they met Miller while appearing with other young activists.
In the same petition, Iron Eyes said Miller continued to develop a relationship with Tokata over the next six years, including visiting them on movie sets. Iron Eyes said Tokata dropped out of school after turning 18 and moved in with Miller.
Oliver Ignatius, a former friend of Miller’s, told NBC News via direct messages over Instagram that he is referred to throughout Iron Eyes’ petition as a witness who is not named. Iron Eyes also said Ignatius is the unnamed witness. In direct messages, Ignatius wrote that he observed Miller’s conduct with Tokata. He also wrote he personally witnessed Miller controlling Tokata’s social media accounts and determining who they could communicate with. Ignatius, a music producer who worked with Miller in Hawaii and Vermont, said he saw Miller abuse Tokata. Ignatius’ allegations are also detailed in the petition for a protection order.
“Lots of yelling and screaming, intimidation, relentless character abuse, calling [them] various slurs, confiscating [their] phone and obsessively monitoring and controlling [their] interactions with others, while failing to provide [them] with basic human necessities,” Ignatius said. The petition for a protection order says that Miller abandoned Tokata in Hawaii without menstrual products.
Ignatius, who also said he cut ties with Miller after a business dispute, said he has been harassed and threatened online by Miller’s fans for speaking out. Iron Eyes said that Miller’s fanbase had been persistent in creating a narrative that he and his wife are transphobic and are trying to force their child into “conversion therapy.” Iron Eyes said that he and his wife have a long history of supporting LGBTQ people and recognize nonbinary identities in Indigenous culture.
“Tokata is not the only nonbinary child in our family,” Iron Eyes said. “Tokata would know we’ve been nothing but open and empowering.”
