Bluffdale Floodlight shines a light on court cases impacting our elections and community. Explore summaries below, or dive into full documents.
Conflict between Jason Hall, Natalie Hall, Jeff Gaston, and (later) Connie Pavlakis and Connie Robbins
ADDED OCTOBER 30: GRAMA-received emails between the Bluffdale Police and the Utah Attorney General’s Office revealing that Jason and Natalie Hall’s claim that Jeff Gaston waited 8 months to give the two March 2022 threat letters to the police is false. Scroll down and click on the Utah Attorney General’s Office Investigation File for State of Utah v Jason Christopher Hall. Once there, click on 1 November to 3 November 2023 in the Table of Contents.
Five-Minute Summary (click links below to see court and investigative documents)
A dispute erupted in 2021 between city council member Jeff Gaston and local residents Jason Hall and his wife Natalie Hall (who later became mayor). The conflict centered on allegations of harassment, threats, and assault, leading to interconnected criminal and civil cases.
Criminal Case (State of Utah v. Jason Christopher Hall, Case No. 221906445)
Filed in June 2022 by the State of Utah, Hall faced felony assault and misdemeanor stalking/threat charges. Key evidence included Gaston’s sworn declaration with photos of scratches, packages, emails, and alleged threats (e.g., “you will end up dead”). Hall’s defenses involved motions to suppress phone data and suppress statements (which were granted, resulting in exclusion of phone records and his police interview), dismiss charges citing U.S. Supreme Court free speech precedents, and challenge evidence admissibility. The successful motions to suppress, the judge’s decision raising the bar for the prosecution on the stalking and threat charges, and the unexpected death of the prosecuting attorney blunted the state’s case. The case avoided trial via a February 2025 plea deal: charges were reduced to one charge of a single Class B misdemeanor for criminal mischief (intentionally and unlawfully tampering with the property of another and as a result recklessly endangering human health or safety); Hall pleaded no contest (subjecting himself to penalties while claiming innocence), with the plea held in abeyance for 12 months under conditions of: court probation requiring prosecutor notification for any early termination, no contact with Gaston, a $690 fee, and no new violation of laws.
Key documents: Initial charges (Docket 001), suppression motions (233, 234), dismissal motion (236), Gaston’s declaration with exhibits (248 (declaration), 249 (March 5 email), 250 (March 8 email), 251 (package and alleged threat letter), 252 (package with gifts for city council and mayor, ridiculing Gaston), 253 (March 11 threat letter), 259 (June 14 and July 20 emails), 262 (photo of Gaston’s arm), 263 (jester’s hat package), 264 (November 20 threat letter), suppression order (351), plea statement (828), amended plea (831), and court abeyance minutes (833). Full details at State of Utah v Jason Christopher Hall.
Civil Case (Jeffrey D. Gaston v. Jason Hall et al., Case No. 230905528)
Gaston filed suit in July 2023 against Jason and Natalie Hall, Schliesser, Woodcraft Mill & Cabinet (Hall’s company), and initially Bluffdale City, seeking damages for battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED), and conspiracy. Claims against the city and Natalie Hall (in her official capacity only) were dismissed in May 2024. The case was stayed multiple times pending the criminal resolution. In May 2025, the Halls countered with claims against Gaston and third-party complaints against Connie Pavlakis and Connie Robbins, alleging defamation, IIED, negligent infliction of emotional distress, abuse of process, and conspiracy. Gaston, Pavlakis, and Robbins answered the counterclaim and third-party complaint denying all allegations and asserting multiple defenses. Anti-SLAPP motions (to protect free speech) were filed by both sides, with the Hall motion denied and the Pavlakis/Robbins motion still pending. A joint motion to dismiss Gaston’s claims and other motions remain pending as of October 2025.
Key documents: Complaint (011), city dismissal order (039), motion to dismiss (058), Halls’ counterclaim/third-party complaint (077), 2nd Anti-SLAPP motion (093), and initial disclosures (095). Full details at Jeffrey D. Gaston v Jason Hall, Natalie Hall, George Schliesser, Woodcraft Mill & Cabinet Inc., and Bluffdale City.
Quick links to sought-after documents
- The emails Jason Hall, husband of Natalie Hall, admitted to sending to or about Jeff Gaston, a sitting City Council Member at the time
- 5 March 2021 (to Gaston)
- 8 March 2021 (to City Council about Gaston)
- 14 June 2021 (to Gaston)
- 20 July 2021 (to Gaston)
- The threatening letters received by Jeff Gaston which Jason Hall denied sending
- 9 March 2021 (Hall admitted to sending the package but denied including the threatening letter)
- 11 March 2021
- 20 November 2021
- 2 December 2020-20 December 2021 Record of texts on Jason Hall’s phone about Gaston
- 2 March 2022 Jason Hall’s 100+ page interview with the police which was sealed by the court because they ruled that due process was not followed
- 24 February 2025 The final resolution of the criminal case against Jason Hall
- 11 December 2023 Jeff Gaston’s civil suit against Jason and Natalie Hall
- 20 May 2025 Jason and Natalie Hall’s counterclaim against Jeff Gaston, Connie Pavlakis, and Connie Robbins
- 16 August 2025 Jeff Gaston, Connie Pavlakis, and Connie Robbins’ answer to the Hall counterclaim