Lawsuit Accuses Utah AG Sean Reyes of Using His Office to Silence OUR Critics
This article is now part of ACJ’s comprehensive investigative series Derailed: Operation Underground Railroad
A new lawsuit was filed Monday, adding to the ongoing legal battles involving Tim Ballard. This time, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes is named as a defendant alongside Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) and Tim Ballard, according to court documents.
Plaintiff Suzanne Whitehead alleges that Reyes suppressed her right to free speech and that Ballard and OUR conspired to silence witnesses who reported fraud and deception.
The attorney general’s office responded to the lawsuit on Tuesday, stating that Reyes trusts the court process to demonstrate that his motives and actions were appropriate and legal.
“As the complaint itself supports, the attorney general sent a single text and made a few phone calls seeking to find common ground between two NGOs,” the statement said. “He regrets if his communication was viewed in any other way and contributed to a feeling of undue pressure.”
Whitehead is represented by attorneys Suzette Rasmussen and Michael K. Green, who also represent multiple other plaintiffs—including five women, a married couple, and a former Marine—in suits against Tim Ballard and OUR for various sexual abuse allegations.
The new lawsuit further alleges that Reyes had a conflict of interest in an earlier investigation by the Davis County Attorney’s Office in 2020, accusing him of suppressing evidence and covering up for OUR and Ballard. The lawsuit cites comments made by Ballard to Reyes during a podcast hosted by the attorney general.
Whitehead claims she became “very worried about General Reyes’ involvement with the Davis County investigation,” and her anxiety worsened upon learning that her documents and report to Troy Rawlings were missing from the Davis County investigation files.
Additionally, court documents reveal that Whitehead worked for an organization that initially collaborated closely with OUR and another human rights group. However, she began distancing herself from Ballard and his organization after witnessing alleged fraud in their missions, particularly in Nepal.
In interviews with American Crime Journal (ACJ) in 2021 and again in 2023, Whitehead provided material and messages as proof of her claims. However, she declined to go on record, fearing that doing so would jeopardize the non-profit organization she worked for.
