Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Anti-Trafficking Leader Tim Ballard
A lawsuit alleging that Tim Ballard, founder of Operation Underground Railroad, assaulted and raped his assistant, Celeste Borys, has been dismissed.
According to Fox 13 in Salt Lake City, Third District Judge Todd Shaugnessy dismissed the lawsuit against Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad because of the way evidence was acquired, not based on the merits of the case.
“Practically speaking, what Ms. Borys did is no different than if she had used a key to access Mr. Ballard’s office in the dark of night to secretly photocopy documents from locked file drawers, including documents that were marked as privileged,” Shaughnessy wrote in his ruling. “The wrongful nature of that conduct should have been obvious to anyone, including, importantly, her lawyers.”
The suit claimed Ballard promoted a technique called the “couples ruse” that called for women who worked for OUR to pretend they were married to him and engage in sexual contact in order to ensnare traffickers. In some cases, he flew workers to be with him so they could develop the “sexual chemistry” necessary to pull off the ruse.
As his executive assistant, Borys had access to some of Ballard’s email and electronic document accounts, which she then accessed after ending her employment.
Shaughnessy wrote that Ballard was “extremely careless” and “negligent” for not changing his password, but the judge found Ballard’s negligence was not the same as giving Borys permission to access his accounts.
“The court lawfully cannot excuse Ms. Borys’s conduct even if the court assumes that she is a victim and Mr. Ballard is a predator,” the judge wrote.
“In short, the record clearly and convincingly establishes that the conduct by Ms. Borys and her attorneys was intentional or willful. It was a deliberate effort to bypass discovery and the requirements of the rules of civil procedure, and it resulted in potentially privileged communications being publicly disclosed,” Shaughnessy wrote.
Tim Ballard speaks about Operation Underground Railroad. (Video screenshot)
Borys’ attorneys said in a statement they are disappointed in the decision and are considering an appeal.
“The court expressly refused to hear the underlying evidence of Mr. Ballard’s … misconduct. Ms. Borys remains resolute,” her attorneys told KSL. “She will press forward with her federal anti-trafficking lawsuit to show that Tim Ballard repeatedly and systematically sexually assaulted her under the guise of the so-called ‘couples ruse.'”
In a separate case, women filed a federal lawsuit against Ballard in October 2024 accusing him of violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). The lawsuit also names Our Rescue as a defendant and is still ongoing. Our Rescue is the new name of Operation Underground Railroad.
“It’s important to us to speak today because Tim Ballard did not assault anyone,” Ballard’s attorney, Whitney Bernstein, told KSL. “It’s time for Mr. Ballard to continue focusing on the work that matters, the critical and important work he does of rescuing defenseless and vulnerable women and children and the work that the plaintiffs and their attorneys have jeopardized with their falsehoods in their smear campaign.”
In the MinistryWatch 1000 database, Our Rescue earns a 1-star financial efficiency rating, a C transparency grade and a donor confidence score of 49 out of 100.
This article has been republished with permission from Ministry Watch.
Kim Roberts is a freelance writer who holds a Juris Doctorate with honors from Baylor University and an undergraduate degree in government from Angelo State University. She has three young adult children who were home schooled and is happily married to her husband of 28 years.