Judge says Taylor Frankie Paul and ex Dakota Mortensen showed 'violence both ways' in custody hearing

Disgraced Bachelorette star Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex Dakota Mortensen were determined to have both been violent in alleged domestic violence incidents by a Utah judge on Thursday.

In a custody hearing over the former couple's two-year-old son Ever, District Commissioner Russell Minas told Paul, 31, and Mortensen, 33, that they had displayed 'violence both ways' in the past, according to People.

Court documents obtained by the Daily Mail reveal that Minas granted both Paul and Mortensen's requests for protective orders against each other after the hearing. 

Paul and Mortensen were both ordered to stay at least 100 feet from each other, and not to attempt to contact each other, though they can still attend court hearings and scheduled mediation sessions. 

Minas ruled that Paul would have 'supervised' parenting time with Ever for up to eight hours, but only after his guardian ad litem had properly vetted her and the people supervising the interactions. 

The trial also included revelations about the couple's tempestuous relationship, including a claim from Paul's attorney that she had suffered two miscarriages before Mortensen accused her of domestic violence. 

In a statement, Paul's attorney, Eric M. Swinyard, said, 'Today’s hearing was 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,' Swinyard continued.

'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 Daily Mail has also reached out to Mortensen's representatives for comment. 

The latest development in their case comes after ABC opted not to air Paul's season of The Bachelorette after disturbing video of Paul throwing metal chairs at Mortensen during a past confrontation resurfaced.

The joint appearance by the warring exes marks the first time they have been pictured together since they were engulfed in dueling domestic violence accusations.

In the livestreamed hearing, Minas said Paul and Mortensen can't be around each other for long, as 'it turns violent.'  

'I’m finding that there's been violence both ways between these parties,' he said in court.

The judge added that Paul and Mortensen had to 'figure out' their issues for the sake of their young son.

'I'm hoping you're not just people who thrive on the drama and the conflict,' he said, according to People. 'You guys have to figure out a lot here. You have to figure out how to function as coparents. This is dysfunctional.'

While addressing Paul and Mortensen, Minas said, 'You're linked together for the remainder of your lives. This is your legacy.' 

Minas said the exes were 'modeling right now how to deal with conflict' in front of their son, and he warned that their controversial public displays could harm their child even as an adult. 

He went on to call out the 'toxicity' that Paul and Mortensen allegedly displayed.

'I'm really intent on trying to keep the two of you away from each other for now,' Minas declared, adding that they should 'not be in the same place at the same time.'

Paul and Mortensen have their next custody hearing set for June 1, but Minas said they would receive recommendations on how much parenting time each should have with Ever before that date. 

During the tense hearing, Paul's attorney said she had suffered two miscarriages before Mortensen accused her of domestic violence in February of this year. 

'This was a very difficult time in their relationship,' her attorney said, according to Us Weekly. 'They were going through some challenges, of course, compounded by the fact that my client was dealing with two recent miscarriages.'

Paul's lawyer said the miscarriages – which had not been previously disclosed – happened prior to Paul and Mortensen's violent confrontation, which began on February 23 and spilled over to the following day.

Paul's attorney also accused her ex Mortensen of leaking a video of a 2023 domestic violence incident, in which she could be seen throwing metal chairs at him, including one that missed and appeared to hit one of her young children.

Mortensen has previously denied being responsible for the leak of the video. 

Although Mortensen's accusations against Paul had already gone public at the time, ABC decided to scrap Paul's season of The Bachelorette – which had already been filmed – after the video was leaked. 

'The same day [Mortensen] filed his amended request for a protective order, a news outlet published the video of this incident,' Taylor’s attorney said, according to Us Weekly. 'Before this release, it had not been out in the public.'

Police body-worn camera footage was later released that showed officers questioning a seemingly intoxicated Paul in the aftermath of the incident before arresting her. She later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. 

Paul's attorney said that he understood that Mortensen has denied leaking the original video, but he said, 'A lot of information lends itself to Dakota leaking this, or at least at the very minimum, having his fingerprints all over this.'

The lawyer went on to claim that Paul's Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives costar Jessi Draper had intimated that Mortensen had played a role in the leak in a declaration that had been filed earlier in April.

While raising doubts that the timing of Mortensen's protective order filing and the video leak was purely 'coincidental,' Paul's attorney claimed that Draper's declaration suggested Mortensen had been involved in the leak.

According to the lawyer, after the alleged domestic violence incident in February, 'Miss Draper entered the basement of her home – that’s Miss Draper’s home – to find Dakota speaking with Miss Draper’s husband, Jordan [Ngatikaura], as well as Dakota’s roommate, Crew, and [overheard] what they were talking about.'

Paul's lawyer claimed that Draper said her estranged husband was visited again by Mortensen in March of this year, and the incident occurred around the time the video was leaked, and shortly before Mortensen filed for a protective order against Paul.

Paul's lawyer alleged that Draper said Mortensen had been 'very animated' during the meeting, and that he was allegedly 'venting his frustrations with cops not doing anything, and told her he was going to take matters into his own hands to embarrass Taylor.' 

'He specifically told Miss Draper that he planned on leaking embarrassing videos of Taylor to the press, starting with the bar stool video,' Paul's attorney claimed.

He added that Mortensen had allegedly named the publication that published the video just days later.

Paul's attorney alleged that Mortensen 'wants to literally destroy her,' and he defended bringing up questions about the timing and origin of the video leak because it allegedly 'contradicts how [Mortensen] is attempting to portray himself today.'

'[Mortensen] wants to subject [Paul] and her family to a new round of torment,' her attorney alleged.

He also noted that the 'mass embarrassment' that the video had caused has had a significant negative impact on Paul's career after ABC dropped her season of The Bachelorette. 

'My client’s big objection to his conduct was, you know, this additional harm and embarrassment and shame that he inflicted on my client as well as her children,' her lawyer continued. 'This was a step too far, and we think, shows his true nature.'

But Mortensen's attorney stated that his client denied leaking the video.

'In fact, he told his publicist not to release the video,' Mortensen's attorney claimed, and he cited his room Crew as another person who would back up claims that Mortensen allegedly said he didn't want the video to be released.

During the hearing, Mortensen's attorney claimed that his client's fear of Paul had led him to delay coming forward with domestic violence allegations, according to Us Weekly. 

'Why has he put up with this? Why did he wait so long to do anything?' Mortensen's attorney said. 'The answer is because he was afraid of the force that would happen against him.'

According to Mortensen's attorney, it was the alleged domestic violence incident in February that finally made him willing to come forward. 

'Unfortunately, and I don’t get to say this very often with male victims, but he’s a domestic violence victim, your Honor,' Mortensen's attorney claimed. 'He is coerced either through romantic interest or interests involving his son, and with very charismatic tests, and very charismatic personality to come back and rejoin this romantic relationship until it blows up, again.'

Mortensen's attorney alleged that 'He filed [for a protective order], actually, because of the most recent incident when he decided to break the cycle.'

Earlier this month, Paul scored a major legal victory when it was announced that she would not face domestic violence charges.

'After reviewing reports and evidence submitted to the Draper Police Department and West Jordan Police Department, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file charges against Taylor Frankie Paul,' said Salt Lake County District Attorney Slim Gill in a statement obtained by the Daily Mail.

Mortensen had accused Paul of choking him, before hitting him and shoving him into a window.

Paul shared her jubilant reaction to the District Attorney's decision in an Instagram Stories post from later that day.

She posted a photo of a vase filled with colorful flowers that overlooked a white piece of paper with a butterfly drawn on it.

'Cried when I got the call 🙏,' the former Bachelorette star wrote over the photo. 'THANK YOU to those that have stood with me.'

In his statement, the DA added that Mortensen had 'reported several incidents' involving Paul, but some of them had 'occurred more than three years ago,' while 'Any incidents of misdemeanor offenses which are alleged to have occurred more than two years ago are barred by the statute of limitations.'

Gill also noted that alleged domestic violence incidents that had 'occurred within the statute of limitations have also been reviewed.'

Of those, his office determined that several did 'not rise to the level of criminal offenses,' while he thought the remaining allegations did not have enough evidence for prosecutors to prove the 'allegations beyond a reasonable [doubt]' because of a lack of specificity about when the alleged incidents occurred, as well as a lack of corroborating witnesses or evidence.

'Based on the evidence submitted for screening by the Draper Police Department and West Jordan Police Department, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office declines to file any charges,' Gill added.

However, he concluded by noting that the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office would be willing to prosecute Paul in the future if additional information were obtained to support a potential conviction.