Utah AG Moves to Dismiss Evidence Loss Lawsuit

The Attorney General's Office seeks dismissal of a suit alleging it lost seized evidence from a dismissed human trafficking case.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Sex Crimes

Utah AG Moves to Dismiss Evidence Loss Lawsuit

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The Utah Attorney General's Office has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit from Rubicon Contracting LLC, which alleges the office lost evidence seized from the company in 2023. The office says certain items, including a box of papers and four USB storage drives, were missing after Homeland Security Investigations held the evidence from December 2024 until May 21, 2026.

Why it matters

The dispute raises questions about chain of custody for evidence in a human trafficking investigation that was dismissed at the local level, and about how state officials handle seized materials. It also places former Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes at the center of a claim about prosecutorial immunity.

The Attorney General's Office has moved to dismiss the suit and argues the seized property need not be returned until the statute of limitations expires. Courts have not yet decided the motion, and the status of the missing items remains unresolved.

The players

Utah Attorney General's Office

The state office responsible for prosecuting criminal cases and representing Utah in legal matters, which seized the evidence and is now defending the lawsuit.

Sean Reyes

A former Utah Attorney General who is a named defendant in the lawsuit and has asserted prosecutorial immunity in response.

Rubicon Contracting LLC

A Utah company whose executives were investigated for alleged labor recruitment fraud and which is now suing state officials over the lost evidence.

The details

Rubicon Contracting LLC says evidence seized from the company in 2023 was lost while in state custody, and it is suing the Attorney General's Office and former Attorney General Sean Reyes. The company's executives were investigated over allegations they recruited employees with false promises of work visas and high pay, but the local human trafficking case was dismissed and no federal charges were filed. Reyes has filed his own motion to dismiss, claiming prosecutorial immunity.

2023: Evidence seized from Rubicon Contracting LLC
December 2024: Homeland Security Investigations assumes custody of the evidence
May 21, 2026: Attorney General's Office regains custody and reports missing items
November 4, 2026: Attorney General's Office files motion to dismiss the lawsuit

Legal Context

The motion draws on prosecutorial immunity, a doctrine that shields prosecutors from many civil claims tied to their official duties. Whether that protection extends to a former attorney general accused of misusing his office will be a central question in the case.

Residents and businesses involved in state investigations may be affected by how seized property is handled and returned. The case could affect how evidence is tracked when multiple agencies hold it across state and federal custody.

The takeaway

Chain-of-custody records matter when evidence changes hands between agencies, and disputes over missing items can outlast the criminal case itself. Watch for the court's ruling on the motion to dismiss to see how immunity is applied.