Operation Underground Railroad founder sues 6 additional women for defamation

Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard is accusing six additional women of defamation in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, weeks after he brought a similar civil case against a former Miss Utah pageant winner.

The women had accused Ballard — an anti-trafficking activist who was the inspiration for the hit 2023 film "Sound of Freedom" — in a series of lawsuits last year of coercing them into sexual contact by using a ruse Ballard said is meant to fool traffickers during undercover missions. Ballard has denied all claims of sexual misconduct and countersued six of the plaintiffs in Utah's 4th District Court Tuesday.

In his complaint, Ballard accuses Celeste Borys, Sashaleigha Hightower, Mary Hall, Krista Kacey, Bree Righter and Kira Lynch of defamation for their claims in lawsuits against him. He also accuses Borys of violations of the Utah Computer Abuse and Data Recovery Act and the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for allegedly accessing data that was later used as evidence against him from Ballard's computer while working as his executive assistant.

"The false claims have to stop, and this lawsuit is intended to begin putting a stop to them," the complaint states. "Fortunately, contrary to the defendants' recently-fabricated false claims, there is an abundance of evidence contradicting any claims of abuse or assault."

The lawsuit includes communications from some of the women around the time of the alleged misconduct as well as statements from those within Ballard's circle he says contradict any claims that he acted inappropriately around the women or that they felt uncomfortable.

Attorneys for the women did not immediately respond to a request from KSL.com. After Ballard countersued former Miss Utah Amy Davis last month, her attorneys filed a response with additional text messages included, saying Ballard's lawsuit did not represent the full conversation.

Righter's lawsuit against Ballard was dismissed in June after a judge found a liability waiver prevented her from filing suit, and another lawsuit filed by a separate plaintiff was dismissed under a new Utah law aimed at protecting free speech rights.

Ballard asked the court to award him punitive and general damages, along with court costs and attorney fees.