SALT LAKE CITY — Tim Ballard, the founder of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), has now filed defamation lawsuits against seven women who accused him of sexual misconduct.
Celeste Borys, Kira Lynch, Sasha Hightower, Mary Hall, Krista Kacey, Bree Righter, and Amy Davis filed lawsuits against Ballard in 2023.
Six of the seven women stated they were training as undercover operatives for OUR, required to roleplay with Ballard as if they were his girlfriend. Ballard has referred to the undercover technique as the “couple’s ruse,” a tactic he invented to build sexual chemistry between undercover operatives so they can fool human traffickers.
Righter stated she also took part in the “couple’s ruse,” but she was not paired with Ballard.
OUR “permanently separated” from Ballard after some of the women filed complaints.
The nonprofit no longer uses the “couple’s ruse.”
Ballard attached several text messages and affidavits from witnesses to support his case.
He also recorded at least two videos of Kacey in which she stated they “kept all the boundaries.”
Mark Eisenhut, an attorney representing Ballard, said the allegations against his client have increasingly strayed “further and further from the truth,” which is why they decided to file defamation lawsuits.
Eisenhut said it’s clear from the videos that the women were not under duress because they don’t appear to be “stiff” or “uncomfortable.” He also added that the women sometimes made similar statements when Ballard was not around.
Some of the women defended Ballard’s reputation prior to accusing him of sexual assault.
Alan Mortensen, an attorney representing the women, says they were each manipulated and groomed. At times, he said they didn’t realize they had been sexually assaulted until weeks or months later. He said the women were pressured into complimenting Ballard to keep their jobs and that they were especially motivated to role play in submissive and sexual ways because they thought their actions might be helping to save children.
“If he touched under false pretense, that by definition is sex assault,” Mortensen said. “We did not anticipate that he would file defamation cases against our clients because they’re telling the truth.”
In essence, Eisenhut said he believes the “couple’s ruse” itself is on trial. He described it as a “genius” tactic that prevents undercover operatives from having to choose between two difficult choices, either having sex or breaking their cover.
“It’s all about acting, right? When you’re undercover, it’s essentially about acting,” Eisenhut said. “They have to be able to act passionately towards each other in the same ways that these horribly decrepit people in the underworld act toward each other. Otherwise? You’re not going to look very convincing, and you’re either going to get killed or at least not obtain the information that you need... Obviously there’s going to be a lot of interaction between the actors who are acting out the couple’s ruse.”
Mortensen said each of the “sexually inappropriate” actions that Ballard engaged in with his clients “would be viewed as sex assault if done outside the couple’s ruse.”
“He said that he got the couple’s ruse through scripture study and prayer and inspiration,” Mortensen said. “It’s not based on any best practices. As a matter of fact, the people who are in the industry are horrified!”
Eisenhut stated any physical touching between Ballard and the women was not nearly as bad as they describe.
“(They said) so many times, so clearly, so convincingly, that Mr. Ballard and other operators at OUR were abundantly gentlemanly,” Eisenhut said. “Somebody who is being falsely accused of sexual assault should not have to endure that.”
Several law enforcement agencies have opened criminal investigations into Ballard.
“No charges have been filed,” Eisenhut said. “My understanding is that they’re just ongoing."
UPDATE - Tim Ballard has now filed lawsuits against 7 of his female accusers.
— Adam Herbets, FOX 13 🏔️ (@AdamHerbets) October 9, 2024
The attorneys representing the women say they welcome it because it will allow them to ask questions to Tim Ballard under oath.
My previous reporting:https://t.co/tteenVVLbK