SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Attorneys for Taylor Frankie Paul, a reality TV star known for her appearance on "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," and Dakota Mortensen, the father of her 2-year-old son, are set to present competing petitions for protective orders against one another in a Utah court. This case could significantly influence custody arrangements for their child.
Both Paul and Mortensen have accused each other of domestic violence and are seeking to convert short-term protective orders into long-term ones. Concerns about both parties' allegations were raised by Third District Court Commissioner Russell Minas during a hearing on April 7, where he ruled that Paul could not have unsupervised visitation with her son due to a pattern of volatile behavior directed toward Mortensen in the presence of children.
As part of their current legal circumstances, Paul and Mortensen have been ordered to maintain a distance of at least 100 feet (30 meters) from one another. Both parents were expected to be in attendance for the hearing on Thursday, following previous hearings where they appeared virtually.
The case is complex, with eleven separate incidents of conflict between the ex-partners under investigation in the context of their protective order requests. Notably, a recently leaked video from 2023 showed Paul involved in a physical altercation with Mortensen, leading to ABC's decision to shelve an already-filmed season of "The Bachelorette" featuring Paul. Concurrently, Hulu paused production of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," though filming resumed last week.
In the leaked footage, Paul was seen physically attacking Mortensen while her daughter was present. This incident resulted in her being charged with aggravated assault and other related offenses, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. Paul ultimately pleaded guilty to the assault charge, which is set to be downgraded from a felony to a misdemeanor if she avoids further legal complications during a probationary period ending in August. Other charges against her were dismissed, and recent events have led the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office to decline the filing of additional charges stemming from altercations with Mortensen, which could have breached Paul’s probation.
In custody cases involving protective orders in Utah, a court can limit or entirely revoke a parent's access to their child. The presence of protective orders from both parents presents a unique challenge; thus, the court heavily depends on recommendations from an appointed attorney who investigates the best interests of the child. In this case, their son, Ever, will be represented by a court-appointed attorney during the upcoming hearing to assist in determining the safest arrangements for him.
Michael McDonald, the child's lawyer, expressed concerns regarding Paul’s history of confrontations with Mortensen in the child's presence. In contrast, Paul’s attorney, Eric Swinyard, testified that Mortensen has been the more aggressive partner, showcasing photographic evidence of Paul's injuries sustained during a fight wherein Mortensen allegedly slammed her head into the dashboard of a vehicle.
Opposing this narrative, Mortensen's attorney, Daniela Diaz, described a pattern of altercations and contended that Paul manipulates their son as a means of instigating conflicts.
