A woman has withdrawn her lawsuit against Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, in which she accused him of using his position to silence her criticism of Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), an anti-trafficking organization founded by Ballard. The attorney for Suzanne Whitehead filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, citing a recent meeting between Reyes and the plaintiffs in which Reyes apologized to Whitehead, who accepted his apology.
Reyes also announced that his office would conduct a criminal investigation into the allegations against Ballard and OUR, although he would not be directly involved due to his close ties to Ballard. The plaintiff, Whitehead, retains the right to re-file the lawsuit if it is discovered that Reyes misled her about his involvement with Ballard.
Meanwhile, attorneys for Tim Ballard have asked a judge to exclude several exhibits from a separate lawsuit brought by five women accusing Ballard of sexual misconduct and assault. Ballard’s legal team claim that the exhibits contain privileged information that was stolen by Ballard’s former executive assistant, Celeste Borys. Borys, who has accused Ballard of violent sexual assaults in her own lawsuit, denied the allegations, saying she did not steal any documents. OUR has also countersued Borys for damage done to the organization’s reputation.
The lawsuit and counterclaims between the plaintiffs and Ballard’s legal team are ongoing, and a fuller response is expected after a judge makes a decision on whether to strike the contested exhibits from the lawsuit.
Historically, Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad have been the subject of controversy. The organization has faced criticism and legal challenges related to allegations of misconduct and assault. The decision by Whitehead to drop her lawsuit against Reyes reflects the complex and ongoing nature of the legal issues surrounding Ballard and OUR.
The situation is still developing, and stakeholders on all sides are awaiting further legal action and decisions from the courts.
