Tim Ballard's Sexual Assault Lawsuit Sparks Utah Outrage Online

Internet users have reacted to the sexual assault lawsuit against Tim Ballard, the founder of the anti-child-trafficking nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad [OUR].

The public took to the comments and replies after Utah took action against the Chinese app TikTok, announcing a lawsuit over alleged predatory practices targeting children. These people demanded that the Utah Attorney General explain his relationship with Ballard seeing as they share a connection through the NGO. 

The online drama began after the Utah AG Sean Reyes announced its lawsuit against TikTok, claiming that the "innocence of our children is under attack and the AG's office is taking legal action to counter this growing threat."

The update, shared via X, formerly Twitter, grabbed the attention of many people and they ensured they shared their views without hesitation. "It ain't gonna work Sean. You can't sue TikTok to try and distract us from what you knew and what you did for Tim Ballard. That's the bigger story- we know it and you know it. Resign," one person replied. 

A second person questioned, "Will you be investigating @TimBallard? Seems he's a bit more of an immediate danger to women and children," and a third chimed, "What a joke. We've been trying to protect children from you and your ilk for years. Go home. YOU KNEW."

A fourth X user went straight for the jugular, caking Reyes "an embarrassment to this State," while asking him to resign because "Your entanglement with OUR should be the final straw."

"Where is your statement addressing your connection to Tim Ballard?," a fifth observer asked, as a sixth claimed, "Trying to distract from the fact that you're openly associated with pedophiles," and a seventh wrote:

"How about all you f—— that fell for the "Tim Ballard is saving the children" bullshit just chill out for a minute on the current thing and not push for genocide."

Meanwhile, this internet surfer made a standalone thread, which began with, "So, as someone who has been writing about this: An allegation is an allegation. But, as a writer - it's been way easier to substantiate the legal allegations against Tim Ballard (names, dates, witnesses, locations) than it has been for me to substantiate his rescue stories."

The X user, whose display name reads Dr.Laura Robinson, added, "I get saying that "We can't prove it happened yet." No, we can't. But if that's true, using the same evidence and standards of proof: we definitely can't prove OUR saved kids."

She wrapped up by noting that even if the NGO significantly improved the lives of kids, it wouldn't have been to the extent that has been asserted.

In case you missed why Reyes’ name is in the black book, it’s because the 52-year-old had gone with Ballard on an O.U.R mission trip to Columbia in 2015. It also didn’t help that the lawsuit against Ballard reportedly mentions his support for the author’s anti-trafficking efforts.

In fact, the docs mentioned the politician’s support as "giving Ballard the cover of the top law enforcement officer in the state of Utah to carry out his purposes even while consumer complaints and criminal investigations were pouring into his office regarding the improprieties of OUR and Ballard."

The suit, which was filed by five women on Monday, alleged that Ballard exploited the mission of his organization to sexually assault them. These allegations emerged weeks after initial reports of accusations of sexual and business misconduct, which led to a significant tarnishing of Ballard's public reputation.

Additionally, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rebuked Ballard, accusing him of attempting to exploit his friendship with senior apostle M. Russell Ballard for personal gain and engaging in morally unacceptable activities. The father of nine has since denied the allegations against him, issuing a statement through his new anti-trafficking organization, The Spear Fund.

"The Spear Fund did not exist during the time of the alleged conduct and had nothing to do with it. Mr. Ballard vehemently denies the allegations brought by these unnamed women. He looks forward to vindicating his name in the courts where evidence, and not unsubstantiated accusations in the media, decides the outcome," the statement declared.

Ballard further asserted, "They are baseless inventions designed to destroy me and the movement we have built to end the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable children." Although O.U.R. confirmed to NBC News that the 2017 Social Entrepreneur Award recipient resigned from his role as CEO on June 22, it didn’t divulge the reason for his exit.