OUR founder Tim Ballard striking back, sues accuser

Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com

PROVO — Operation Underground Railroad laminitis Tim Ballard accused a erstwhile Miss Utah pageant victor of defamation successful a suit Wednesday and hinted that he could prosecute ineligible action against different women who person accused him of intersexual assault.

Amy Davis is 1 of 5 women who, successful October past year, sued nan anti-trafficking activistic and inspiration for nan deed 2023 movie “Sound of Freedom,” accusing him of utilizing a ruse meant to fool kid traffickers to coerce them into intersexual contact. Davis and nan different women sued anonymously, but person since spoken publicly, including successful a New York Times communicative published earlier this month.

Davis worked pinch Ballard arsenic a constitution creator and alleged that he made advances toward her during training sessions earlier purported rescue operations.

Ballard has many times denied each claims of intersexual battle aliases misconduct, and accused Davis of defaming him successful tribunal and successful nationalist statements. His lawsuit, revenge successful Utah’s 4th District Court, is nan first counterclaim revenge by Ballard since nan ineligible saga began past year. The suit said it “is apt that Mr. Ballard will soon beryllium filing akin lawsuits against different mendacious accusers.”

“In October 2021, erstwhile Ms. Utah, Amy Morgan Davis, was kicked retired of an OUR undercover training schoolhouse aft having invited maine to her edifice room to prosecute successful intersexual activity,” Ballard said successful a social media post Wednesday.

Ballard claims successful his suit that Davis was invited to a general training conducted by Operation Underground Railroad opening Oct. 14, 2021, and was nether information to beryllium a imaginable undercover operative for nan organization. It was during this clip that nan alleged intersexual misconduct occurred.

Ballard’s type of events alleges that, alternatively than participate successful nan training, Davis utilized nan training retreat astatine a Salt Lake City edifice to effort to seduce him. His suit includes screenshots of texts sent by Davis to Ballard successful November 2021, which he says backmost up his broadside of nan story.

“On Nov. 22, 2021, Ms. Davis began texting Mr. Ballard, expressing disappointment that she was not capable to complete nan training and perchance spell connected undercover operations pinch Mr. Ballard,” nan suit states. The matter messages included things specified as: “I’m sad we can’t train together,” “I felt really comfortable pinch you” and “Maybe your eyes formed a spell connected maine lol.”

But Davis’ attorneys said nan messages included successful Ballard’s suit don’t correspond nan afloat conversation. Davis revenge a consequence to Ballard connected Thursday asking that nan claims beryllium dismissed, on pinch different bid of texts that show Ballard asking Davis to be nan training successful early October. “Had Ballard chosen to connect each nan texts betwixt he and nan defendant, it would beryllium observed that Ballard was asking suspect to spell to portion clubs and exotic massage parlors,” nan defense filing states. “Defendant declined arsenic she was uncomfortable.”

Two different lawsuits against Ballard person been dismissed this year. One was dismissed nether a caller Utah rule aimed astatine protecting Utahns from being sued for exercising their free reside aliases different protected rights, and different was dismissed aft a judge recovered a liability waiver barred nan female from filing suit.