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Tim Ballard Defends Himself


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Posted
2 hours ago, teddyaware said:

He can cheer when the rest are dismissed. Even if everything ends up being dismissed Ballard is still a manipulative charlatan. Dismissals are not proof of someone’s character. It just means that legally nothing is actionable.

Posted
1 hour ago, Doctor Steuss said:

"Ballard doesn't appear to be the kind of guy..."

 

*Tim Ballard's White Board Incident Enters Chat*

Whiteboard-Diagram-BW-2.png?w=640&ssl=1

https://americancrimejournal.com/acj-investigates/operation-underground-railroad-o-u-r/

 

I still remember (I think it was about 4 years ago) when my local police department's Human Trafficking Task Force called out Ballard for his dishonesty and slimy capitalization on victims for his own self-enrichment, and his hampering legitimate efforts.  It's wild that he's still relevant and has defenders.  But hey, maybe the police officers who deal with human trafficking in LAS VEGAS just don't know how holy and honest and upright Tim Ballard (blessed be his name) really is.  Maybe Ballard was lying when he showed how he planned to funnel money to himself... but being honest everywhere else.

He's just telling the truth. Punt intended. 

Posted (edited)
On 9/5/2024 at 9:08 PM, teddyaware said:

A few thoughts:

1. Whitehead's Complaint is not publicly available, so I cannot comment on it directly.  However, we have information from the motions filed by the defendants to ascertain some of its contents.  Here is a link to all of the motions filed in this lawsuit pertaining to the dismissal.

2. In my view, that the court dismissed large chunks of Whitehead's lawsuit does not do much to explore the particulars of Tim Ballard's conduct, and instead speaks more to A) the weakness of these legal claims, and B) the potency of a newly-enacted state statute, UPEPA ("Utah Public Expression Protection Act").

3. Whitehead's lawyers appear to be the same set of lawyers that is representing all of the various parties in various lawsuits suing Tim Ballard and OUR.

4. Broadly speaking, it is often more difficult to prosecute a civil case than to defend against one.  That said, Whitehead's attorneys are not doing a very good job so far, and OUR's and Tim Ballard's attorneys are, on the other hand, doing a very good job.  This does not exculpate Tim Ballard, as most of the factual allegations against him remain unexplored (and, FWIW, the factual allegations against him also do not - or ought not - inculpate Tim Ballard either).

5. I generally try to avoid sensationalistic lawsuits like this one, particularly when they have a prurient bent.  The lawsuits against Tim Ballard, however, somewhat implicate the good name and reputation of the Church (insofar as Tim Ballard may have misused his relationship with Elder Ballard, Elder Ballard's name and reputation, etc.).  To that end, I will continue to monitor these lawsuits.

Thanks,

-Smac

Edited by smac97
Posted
On 9/4/2024 at 6:49 AM, teddyaware said:

As I’ve said previously, Tim Ballard is either a decent guy who’s getting a bad rap, or he’s the king of sociopaths, a man who’s able to lie brazenly lie while appearing to be earnestly honest and telling the truth. The only wrinkle is that in this recent 2 hour plus interview Ballard appears to ‘have the receipts’ (hard evidence), while some of the legal cases against him are either falling apart or being dismissed.

 

I have followed this fairly closely and I listened to this video and here are my take-aways:

  • It appears to me that once suing Tim Ballard became in vogue, everyone started to jump on board - some with seemingly legitimate concerns and some hoping to get money off of the back of those people
  • I actually believe just about everything Tim Ballard says in this video is true, when picking apart Ryan Fisher's affidavit. I think he was telling the truth (at least mostly) in his retelling of things here as he remembers them. I will be surprised if Ryan Fisher continues with his lawsuit successfully and if Ryan Fisher can refute the things Tim Ballard said in his defense. 
  • The affidavit appears to simply be podcast show notes from the highlights of things that Ryan Fisher said on anti-LDS church podcast in May. The affidavit told the EXACT same points in the EXACT same order with the EXACT same things that are demonstrably false. 
    (I remember thinking at the time that Ryan sounded like me when I describe past business partners with whom I didn't get along - I am sure that they have their own side to tell, but everyone was really acrimonious in their business relationship with everyone feeling they were right. I also remember thinking during parts of the podcast that certain points seemed to be stretching the truth in some of his re-telling)
  • I think Ryan Fisher and Suzanne Whitehead have really weak legal cases and just jumped on the suing bandwagon
  • However, some of the women that have come forward have pretty good evidence against Ballard that he used the couples ruse to sexually manipulate them. This evidence was strong enough that Glenn Beck, The Blaze, Elder Ballard, the Church and others publicly denounced some of Tim Ballard's actions.
  • I think someone can do lots of good, but still make poor choices in some situations. I can only imaging how hard it would be for Tim Ballard to always live in the world of strip clubs for work and not have it impact him in his real-life interactions. I am not making excuses for this, only observations that even those trying hard to do good and doing lots of good in their life, can make poor choices as well
  • From the evidence, I think some of the women in the lawsuit may not have been sexually manipulated but were instead willing participants with Tim Ballard. It's weird that they are all lumped together, because some of them don't seem credible.
  • I would love for Tim Ballard to be able to prove his innocence in all the accusations, but at this point he hasn't refuted well the worst of the points and the evidence is pretty strong against him on the couples ruse abuses for some of the women (not all of them, mind you)

 

Other comments:

  1. I hate that in the Anti-Church-of-Jesus-Christ podcast/blogosphere/Reddit world the Ryan Fisher affidavit is 100% taken at face value, even though some of it seems over the top. For example, an anti-church podcast did an episode on the church trying to 'Infiltrate Evangelical Christianity' using the Fisher affidavit as their main point (and they started the episode by saying, 'I was really hoping we would not [have to talk about Tim Ballard ever again].' - Yeah right, Tim Ballard is great anti-LDS material and someone making stuff up about him is even better).  Now, everything in this affidavit will be quoted as 'fact' and 'proof,' even though it is basically one guy's opinions.
     
  2. Does anyone know how they handle legally a group lawsuit like this if some of the women were sexually manipulated and some were willing partners or were never abused but just hoping to get money? How does the court separate that out? Maybe @smac97 can help on that front.
Posted
On 9/4/2024 at 6:49 AM, teddyaware said:

As I’ve said previously, Tim Ballard is either a decent guy who’s getting a bad rap, or he’s the king of sociopaths, a man who’s able to lie brazenly lie while appearing to be earnestly honest and telling the truth.

There is a third option, which is that Tim Ballard did some morally reprehensible - but not legally actionable - things with the women making allegations against him, and also that these women are taking an everthing-and-the-kitchen-sink approach in their allegations, which may include exaggerating or fabricating claims.

Thanks,

-Smac

Posted
36 minutes ago, Anonymous Mormon said:

I have followed this fairly closely and I listened to this video and here are my take-aways:

...

  • I actually believe just about everything Tim Ballard says in this video is true, when picking apart Ryan Fisher's affidavit. I think he was telling the truth (at least mostly) in his retelling of things here as he remembers them. I will be surprised if Ryan Fisher continues with his lawsuit successfully and if Ryan Fisher can refute the things Tim Ballard said in his defense. 

Ryan Fisher is, I believe, only a witness in the lawsuit, not a plaintiff in it.

36 minutes ago, Anonymous Mormon said:
  • However, some of the women that have come forward have pretty good evidence against Ballard that he used the couples ruse to sexually manipulate them. This evidence was strong enough that Glenn Beck, The Blaze, Elder Ballard, the Church and others publicly denounced some of Tim Ballard's actions.

This is my provisional assessment.

36 minutes ago, Anonymous Mormon said:
  • From the evidence, I think some of the women in the lawsuit may not have been sexually manipulated but were instead willing participants with Tim Ballard. It's weird that they are all lumped together, because some of them don't seem credible.

I think it is difficult, from a legal standpoint, to differentiate women who were "sexually manipulated" from women who were "willing participants."  My recollection is that the allegations against Tim Ballard sound terrible from a Latter-day Saint perspective, but that they do not include allegations of force, coercion or deceit.  A man coaxing and wheedling a woman into sexual behavior is generally not going to be legally actionable.  These women are adults, and apparently made decisions for themselves.  There are no allegations that Tim Ballard undermined their free will (using force, threats, coercion, deceit, drugs, whatever).  We as a society ought not infantilize women by casting them as victims rather than the masters of their own poor choices.

36 minutes ago, Anonymous Mormon said:
  • I would love for Tim Ballard to be able to prove his innocence in all the accusations, but at this point he hasn't refuted well the worst of the points and the evidence is pretty strong against him on the couples ruse abuses for some of the women (not all of them, mind you)

As to matters of sexual impropriety and dishonest/corrupt business practices, I'm pretty indifferent to that stuff, except to the extent these matters implicate the interests of the Church and its reputation.

36 minutes ago, Anonymous Mormon said:

Does anyone know how they handle legally a group lawsuit like this if some of the women were sexually manipulated and some were willing partners or were never abused but just hoping to get money? How does the court separate that out? Maybe @smac97 can help on that front.

Nothing new here.  The plaintiffs present their legal claims, collect evidence, present it to a judge.  Tim Ballard's attorneys critique these efforts and gather evidence in defense of their client.

Again, in the seeming absence of allegations against Tim Ballard involving him resorting to force, coercion or deceit, I think it is difficult to differentiate "sexually manipulated" women from those who were "willing partners."

Thanks,

-Smac

Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, smac97 said:

There is a third option, which is that Tim Ballard did some morally reprehensible - but not legally actionable - things with the women making allegations against him, and also that these women are taking an everthing-and-the-kitchen-sink approach in their allegations, which may include exaggerating or fabricating claims.

Thanks,

-Smac

My opinion is that, by necessity, a sexually charged atmosphere had to be created in order successfully escape detection during the child trafficking undercover work. And as many sexual abuse victims will tell you, in sexually charged atmospheres their very human bodies often betrayed them by responding to the unwanted sexual stimuli with arousal, even when participation in the abuse is the last thing they wanted to do.

In light of the above, I believe what likely happened is that the women who are charging Ballard with sexual abuse are feeling guilt stricken due to their willing participation in a job the required them to convincingly coming off as practicing sex perverts, and now, months or years after their willing participation, they want to put all the blame for their feelings of guilt and remorse of conscience exclusively on Ballard, when what they should have done was back out of their participation in the very beginning, at the time when they first started to feel uncomfortable and conflicted. The best way to convince others you’re a sexual pervert is to convincingly behave as if you really are a sexual pervert, and convincingly acting like authentic sex perverts was the most essential element of their job description.

Given this emotionally volitile state of affairs, all some eager beaver lawyers had to do is couple the female accuser’s guilty consciences. and resentments toward Ballard, with the promise of big financial payouts, to compensate them for the abuse they say they suffered, and you have Ballard’s present legal woes. But all Ballard will likely have to do is demonstrate that his coworkers needed to convincingly portray themself as oversexed perverts in order to not be killed by hardened criminals and the charges will be thrown out the window. I can just hear Ballard’s lawyer’s as they come down hard on the accusers insisting, “why did you continue to participate in the sex abuse undercover work when you could have backed out at any time?!”

Edited by teddyaware
Posted
21 minutes ago, teddyaware said:

My opinion is that, by necessity, a sexually charged atmosphere had to be created in order successfully escape detection during the child trafficking undercover work. And as many sexual abuse victims will tell you, in sexually charged atmospheres their very human bodies often betrayed them by responding to the unwanted sexual stimuli with arousal, even when participation in the abuse is the last thing they wanted to do.

In light of the above, I believe what likely happened is that the women who are charging Ballard with sexual abuse are feeling guilt stricken due to their willing participation in a job the required them to convincingly coming off as practicing sex perverts, and now, months or years after their willing participation, they want to put all the blame for their feelings of guilt and remorse of conscience exclusively on Ballard, when what they should have done was back out of their participation in the very beginning, at the time when they first started to feel uncomfortable and conflicted. The best way to convince others you’re a sexual pervert is to convincingly behave as if you really are a sexual pervert, and convincingly acting like authentic sex perverts was the most essential element of their job description.

Given this emotionally volitile state of affairs, all some eager beaver lawyers had to do is couple the female accuser’s guilty consciences. and resentments toward Ballard, with the promise of big financial payouts, to compensate them for the abuse they say they suffered, and you have Ballard’s present legal woes. But all Ballard will likely have to do is demonstrate that his coworkers needed to convincingly portray themself as oversexed perverts in order to not be killed by hardened criminals and the charges will be thrown out the window. I can just hear Ballard’s lawyer’s as they come down hard on the accusers insisting, “why did you continue to participate in the sex abuse undercover work when you could have backed out at any time?!”

This is what we call "blaming the victim."

Posted
2 hours ago, teddyaware said:

My opinion is that, by necessity, a sexually charged atmosphere had to be created in order successfully escape detection during the child trafficking undercover work.

@teddyaware - I agree with this statement and said something similar in my comment above:

"I can only imagine how hard it would be for Tim Ballard to always live in the world of strip clubs for work and not have it impact him in his real-life interactions"

 

Do you believe it's also possible that maybe Tim Ballard got caught up in the moment while travelling with these attractive women who were pretending to be his hyper-sexual wife? Do you think he could be guilty of crossing the lines of covenants he made in the temple? 

 

 

2 hours ago, teddyaware said:

In light of the above, I believe what likely happened is that the women who are charging Ballard with sexual abuse are feeling guilt stricken due to their willing participation in a job the required them to convincingly coming off as practicing sex perverts,

Do you think they could also feel guilt for crossing lines with Tim that weren't required for the job?

 

I guess I am just curious if you feel that Tim Ballard is 100% innocent not only of crimes, but also of any impropriety / immorality in all of this?

 

Posted
On 9/5/2024 at 10:20 AM, teddyaware said:

Why don’t you watch the video and draw your own impressions? One thing is virtually certain, it appears likely that Ballard is telling the truth with regard to the subject matter covered in the video. So if Ballard actually is being truthful in the video, with one of his most vocal accusers very recently being convicted in a court of law as a child trafficker (a conviction largely affirmed on video evidence provided to law enforcement by Ballard himself) it seems to me the man at least deserves a fair hearing.

In addition, some of the cases against Ballard have recently been dismissed due to lack of evidence. It’s also strange that the women who’ve accused Ballard of wrongdoing are being represented by the very same lawyers who defended the woman who was just convicted of child trafficking! Based on the sleazy, underhanded way these lawyers defended the now convicted child trafficker, one can’t help but wonder why these very same lawyers are representing Ballard’s other female accusers?

For the above reasons, it seems to me Ballard at very least deserves a fair hearing.  Why not listen to the video instead of joining in with the large chorus of church members who’ve already convicted Ballard in the court of public opinion before the man has been able to defend in a court of law? This same kind of rush to justice mentality is what got Joseph and Hyrum murdered.

If Ballard is found guilty of the charges filed against him, after compelling evidence is provided that places the reality of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, I’ll condemn the man and say justice was done. But of all people the Latter-Day Saints should be the last people who point the finger of guilt before all the evidence has been revealed and dispassionately analyzed.

Why do you think he is not getting a fair hearing?  And what are you specifically referring to? A fair hearing on podcasts and so on or in a court of law?

Posted
42 minutes ago, Teancum said:

Why do you think he is not getting a fair hearing?  And what are you specifically referring to? A fair hearing on podcasts and so on or in a court of law?

He doesn't belong in court. It's obviously that he speaks the truth i find. 

Posted
23 hours ago, ttribe said:

You have very little experience with fraudsters, it appears. I see people like this quite often.

Ballard really fits the bill don't you think?

Posted
40 minutes ago, Dario_M said:

He doesn't belong in court. It's obviously that he speaks the truth i find. 

Ya decided this after one view of one video?  Ya might want to rethink this one after you know more about the whole story.

Posted
3 minutes ago, Teancum said:

Ya decided this after one view of one video?  Ya might want to rethink this one after you know more about the whole story.

I've seen the whole 2 hour video. I have a nosse for people who are lying. This guy is not lying. And the case against him is ridicelous. Obviously ....he is sincere. 

Posted
12 minutes ago, Dario_M said:

I've seen the whole 2 hour video. I have a nosse for people who are lying. This guy is not lying. And the case against him is ridicelous. Obviously ....he is sincere. 

You have a nose for people who are lying.  Sure....

 

How so?

Posted
13 minutes ago, Dario_M said:

I've seen the whole 2 hour video. I have a nosse for people who are lying. This guy is not lying. And the case against him is ridicelous. Obviously ....he is sincere. 

You haven't seen the whole picture. It's all going to come out soon I'm sure. I believe the women he abused. Tim Ballard has his tentacles in so many situations. And Ryan Fisher is a witness to a lot of things, he was very supportive of OUR and Tim Ballard at first until he smelled a rat. He's going to have a podcast soon called: "Tim Did What" You'll get to see all that took place. 

Posted (edited)
11 minutes ago, Teancum said:

You have a nose for people who are lying.  Sure....

 

How so?

I just can tell if somebody is lying.

This man seems to be innocent 

Edited by Dario_M
Posted
4 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

You haven't seen the whole picture. It's all going to come out soon I'm sure.

I'm super curious. I wanna see where this is going to. 

4 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

I believe the women he abused.

 

Did he abused a woman? Oh my i didn't know that. That's horible. 🤢

4 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

Tim Ballard has his tentacles in so many situations. And Ryan Fisher is a witness to a lot of things, he was very supportive of OUR and Tim Ballard at first until he smelled a rat. He's going to have a podcast soon called: "Tim Did What" You'll get to see all that took place. 

He looked innocent to me. But maybe he's just a really good lyer. 

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