“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul has been granted a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen—even as a judge determined that the former couple’s son, Ever, should remain in the custody of his father.
Paul, 31, and Mortensen, 33, have been locked in a bitter legal battle for weeks now, after it emerged in March that the pair had been involved in a domestic violence incident the previous month—news that prompted ABC to yank the reality TV star’s season of “The Bachelorette” from the air just hours before it was due to premiere.
Now, a judge has ruled that Mortensen must stay at least 100 feet away from Paul until their next court hearing on April 30, while also barring him from contacting her by phone or email. He has also been told he cannot go to Paul’s Utah home.
However, the same judge, Third District Court Commissioner Russell Minas, also ruled that Mortensen will continue to have temporary custody of their 2-year-old son, Ever, with Paul given up to eight hours of supervised visitation per week.
“I have concerns going both ways,” Minas said after reviewing the duo’s dueling petitions, in which Paul describes Mortensen as an “abusive individual,” according to the New York Times, which obtained the documents.
“I am not perfect,” Paul wrote in her personal declaration. “I have owned my mistakes, but Dakota is an abusive individual who refuses to take accountability.”
Meanwhile, Mortensen has accused Paul of choking him during an altercation that he says took place at her home. He alleges that she also attacked him inside his truck the following night.
He has requested that the court switch his short-term temporary restraining order into a long-term order.
Paul and Mortensen are set to appear in court on April 30 to defend their reasoning for a permanent restraining order.
Paul’s lawyer, Eric Swinyard, told Minas that they plan to “have a showdown on the 30th,” to which the commissioner replied, “Hopefully it won’t be a showdown. I’m hoping you can come to some resolution.”
Lawyers for both Paul and Mortensen recalled alleged incidents, some of which were captured on video.
Swinyard recounted what has become known as “the truck tussle,” an incident in late February that saw Mortensen claiming that Paul threw a drink at him while they were arguing in a truck, in an attempt not to wake the children, who were sleeping in Paul’s home.
However, Paul’s lawyer claimed that Mortensen slammed her head into the dashboard and punched her in the leg as he shared images of her bruises.
That argument and others are under investigation by the police.
Mortensen’s lawyer, Daniela Diaz, claimed that Paul has repeatedly used their son to get her ex to come back to her.
“He’s often invited back and his child is often used as a pawn, as a pawn to start fights,” Diaz alleged.
Just days before being granted a temporary restraining order, Paul announced that she was cutting ties with the Mormon church.
The news of Paul’s temporary restraining order comes mere weeks after ABC canceled the TV personality’s upcoming season of “The Bachelorette.”
The decision came amid reports that Paul and Mortensen were involved in a domestic violence incident in February—and after TMZ released never-before-seen video footage of an altercation taking place between the two in 2023.
A spokesperson for ABC confirmed that the new season of the reality series—which was due to premiere on March 22—has been shelved, telling the Hollywood Reporter: “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”
The video footage released by TMZ, which is understood to have been taken inside the former couple’s Utah home, shows Paul appearing to kick her partner, before throwing chairs at him. Mortensen is then heard yelling: “Your daughter is right here,” suggesting that the reality TV star’s child was in close proximity to the altercation.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter on March 17, Paul admitted that she was “struggling” with the accusations.
“It’s been really difficult and heavy, given, you know, all the headlines and what’s going on,” she said. “But I would say I am handling it like any normal human would, like struggling, but trying to show up at the same time.”
The news of the cancellation came shortly after it was revealed that “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” had stopped filming while an investigation into the incident is carried out.
Multiple sources told People that filming on the Hulu reality series has halted indefinitely while a domestic assault investigation is conducted.
“They are not filming. Taylor has some pretty serious stuff happening regarding her past, and they will see what happens. Until that resolves, they are off,” an insider told the outlet.
Although details about the alleged incident have yet to be revealed, a spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department confirmed that there is an ongoing “domestic assault investigation” involving Paul and Mortensen
The spokesperson added that “allegations have been made in both directions” and “contact was made with involved parties on [Feb] 24 and 25.”
Furthermore, People’s sources claimed that the cast members of the Hulu show are allegedly attempting to distance themselves from Paul while the investigation is ongoing.
“None of the women want to be associated with her,” the source claimed.
TMZ was first to report the reason for the pause in filming after Paul confirmed during an appearance on “Good Morning America” that work on the show had ceased.
“It’s been a heavy time to see the headlines, especially during this time of ‘The Bachelorette’ being released,” she said. “It’s supposed to be a really exciting time.
“I’m a person that will always speak my truth, that’s what I’m known for, and so when the time is right, I will be. But right now just trying to be in the present moment and focus on this. My kids do come first. … it’s been stressful to be honest.”
Paul did not reveal a reason for the production shutdown, but noted that she was not behind the decision.
“I don’t call the shots with production. … As far as I know, it was [paused], but I don’t know for how long,” she said.
At the time, some assumed that “Mormon Wives” had halted filming because of Paul’s obligations for the new season of “The Bachelorette,” which had not announced any changes to its scheduling.