Taylor Frankie Paul comes face to-face with ex Dakota Mortensen in court over protective order

Taylor Frankie Paul was in court on Tuesday as a legal battle began over a protective order filed by her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.

Mortensen, who previously filed a temporary restraining order against the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, is now seeking to extend the order into long-term protection as domestic violence accusations against Paul continue to be investigated.

Mortensen currently has temporary custody of their 2-year-old son.

Both Paul and Mortensen appeared remotely for the hearing, with their legal teams present at the Salt Lake City courthouse. Neither Paul nor Mortensen were physically present in the courtroom.

During the opening proceedings, the judge asked, ‘So let me ask this too, is [Mortensen] alleging that [Paul] ever did anything that was aimed at the children directly or was it incidental?’

Mortensen’s lawyer responded, ‘Your Honor, we’re alleging both. That in these moments where the parties are fighting, she is completely out of control.’

They added, ‘So yes, if they happen to be in the line of fire when she’s coming at him, yes, they will get harmed.’

The court proceedings then turned to the domestic violence incident from 2023 - an incident that led to Paul’s arrest and which resurfaced in a video just before her now -canceled Bachelorette season.

In it, Paul is seen throwing a chair at Mortensen during a heated fight, while her daughter is present.

‘I only have the video, and there's a starting point and there's an ending point, and who knows what happened before and who knows what happened after, but Dakota is holding the child and that's clear in the video, and she's pushing him and telling him to get out of the house,’ the judge began.

‘And at one point, it even appears in the video that he trips and almost falls over while he's holding the child. To me, that makes me very nervous about her ability to control herself and her volatility. I don't understand how you have a situation where you throw a chair at someone, knowing that your child’s sitting on the couch.’

The hearing came after a new investigation was opened in February of this year following fresh allegations of Paul attacking Mortensen. 

Then, in March, a third police investigation was launched when Mortensen reported a separate alleged incident from 2024. 

Just hours before the Tuesday hearing, Paul filed for a protective order against Mortensen.

Court documents obtained on April 7 reveal that Paul is seeking the order, accusing Mortensen of a ‘pattern of abusive conduct and coercive control’ throughout their relationship.

The filing details four separate incidents where Paul claims to have been subjected to domestic abuse, including allegations of ‘assault, harassment, and stalking.’

One of the incidents, described in the filing, took place in the early hours of February 23, 2026.

Paul claims Mortensen arrived at her home while their three children, including their son Ever, were asleep.

After insisting on speaking with her, they stepped outside, but Paul alleges that Mortensen then drove off with her in his car against her will, despite her objections.

According to the filing, ‘The parties argued and Dakota assaulted Taylor by slamming her head against the dashboard of his truck and striking her knee and elbow.’

Paul described the pain as ‘immediate and intense.’

Photos submitted by Paul show the bruises that appeared shortly after the alleged assault.

Furthermore, Paul claims that Mortensen ‘requested sex’ after the February altercation.

The first incident mentioned in the filing occurred on May 27, 2025, when the couple reportedly had a verbal argument in Paul’s home.

Paul claims that after she asked Mortensen to leave, he refused, and during the ensuing argument, she lost her footing, leading to Mortensen allegedly kicking her. Photos of her injuries, including bruises, were included in the filing.

Additionally, Paul accused Mortensen of stalking her during a February 14, 2026, incident, when he allegedly sent her a photo of her initials tattooed on the inside of his lip.

The filing includes images of the tattoo, and in a sworn statement, Paul said, ‘My initials are now permanently tattooed on the body of a man who has been abusive toward and possessive of me.’

Just days later, on February 22, 2026, Paul claims Mortensen arrived at her home early in the morning after their son Ever had trouble sleeping at his house.

The filing claims Mortensen confronted Paul over her decision to end their relationship, and despite her repeated requests for him to leave, he allegedly refused to comply and stayed in her home.

Other evidence includes ‘possessive texts’ from Mortensen.