SALT LAKE CITY — Months after Katherine Ballard, the wife of Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard, was added to a lawsuit that accuses her husband and others of sexual misconduct, a judge dismissed those claims.
Third District Court Judge Todd Shaughnessy dismissed the claims on Thursday.
The amended lawsuit announced December claimed that the Ballard's conspired together for their own financial gain, and that Katherine promoted the "Couples Ruse" that Tim Ballard said was a tool to prevent detection by pedophiles during an operation.
In the original lawsuit, multiple women said Tim Ballard would choose women devoted to OUR, but "with no formal training in paramilitary activities or operations," and that he began to abuse the rules that said there was to be no kissing on the lips or touching private parts.
The original lawsuit claimed Tim Ballard began using "Couples Ruse" as a tool for sexual grooming, asking women to practice before the mission took place and practice their sexual chemistry through "tantric yoga, couples massages with escorts, and lap dancing on Ballard’s lap."
The women accuse Ballard of eventually coercing them into sexual acts under the guise of the "couples ruse." He also allegedly told them they needed to keep the ruse going, even when there didn't appear to be any reason to portray the image — such as times when they were in private accommodations. They say he claimed traffickers could always be watching.
According to the lawsuit, Katherine appeared on broadcast shows and said the "Couples Ruse" was a legitimate anti-child trafficking tool and that the victims knew what they were doing.
In an attempt to show Katherine Ballard's involvement in her husband's plans, attorneys shared a social media message from October 2023 in which she said that the couple have a "specific strategy" to reveal truth.
However, Shaughnessy dismissed the claims saying the plaintiffs had not presented evidence that implicated Katherine Ballard.
