Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen Granted Mutual Protective Orders

Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen have been granted mutual protective orders, a Utah district court judge decided on April 30.

“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star and her ex-boyfriend appeared in court to discuss their dueling protective orders, stemming from a number of domestic violence charges and allegations, as well as the custody of their 2-year-old son, Ever.

Commissioner Russell Minas stated that the former couple would need to stay 100 feet stay away from each other. He explained that they are three year protective orders that will expire on their own. They are not criminal orders, but if an incident occurs, arrests can be made and charges can be filed that can be elevated to misdemeanors or third-degree felonies, Minas said.

When it comes to their custody agreement, he said he needed to “think a little bit more” and would need until May 11, the latest, to make any recommendations or modifications.

As of now, their parent time would stay the same, meaning Mortensen has custody and Paul is allowed eight hours of supervised time with Ever per week.

The judge stated that if he has any changes when it comes to the custody agreement, he will modify the protective order and they will have a review hearing to go over the changes. He did note that he is “contemplating lifting supervision.”

During the hearing, the judge touched on the importance of the two putting their issues behind them for the future of their child and co-parenting.

“You have to figure out how to function as co-parents. This has been dysfunctional. This is a lifelong proposition between the two,” he said, adding, “You’re linked together for the remainder of your lives, you’re going to be the grandparents of the same grandkids someday, be at the same graduations, their same weddings.”

He stated that he wants to work with both of them to restore their relationship. However, he noted, “I think right now you need to stay away from each other” and there needs to be real consequences for their actions.

Paul and Mortensen did not speak during the hearing.

In a statement to TODAY.com, Paul’s attorney Eric M. Swinyard called the hearing “a significant step forward as the court entered protective orders requiring that Taylor’s ex-partner stays far away from her.”

“Taylor was incredibly candid with the court that she is not perfect and owned her faults, which is in direct contrast to how the other party presented their argument, despite evidence and input from law enforcement that showed otherwise,” the statement continues. “Taylor feels solidarity with the many survivors who have endured similar hardships behind closed doors and shared only part of their stories, and she remains grateful for the outpouring of support she continues to receive. She looks forward to continuing to cooperate with the court to make progress in the custody case.”

The two had filed competing protective orders against each other, with Mortensen first filing on March 20. Hours before their April 7 hearing, Paul filed a temporary protective order against her ex.

During the April 7 hearing, Paul was granted supervised visits with her son.

The former couple’s legal issues began making headlines this year after TMZ published a video on March 19 from a 2023 altercation between the two. This led to Mortensen filing his protective order and the cancellation of Paul’s then-upcoming season of “The Bachelorette.”

For the 2023 incident, Paul pled guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, court records obtained by NBC News show. Four other charges — assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child — were dismissed.

This was followed up by a police spokesman telling NBC News on March 24 that the pair were also the subject of a 2024 domestic violence allegation after Mortensen contacted the West Jordan, Utah, Police Department. Reps for him and Paul declined to comment at the time.

Season 5 of “Mormon Wives” was also paused in mid March amid reports of a domestic violence investigation involving Paul and Mortensen stemming from a February 2026 incident.

However on April 17, Utah prosecutors would not be charging either Mortensen or Paul in regards to the investigation this year. In the meantime, “Mormon Wives” resumed filming its fifth season, Paul and Hulu have yet confirmed her involvement in the series.