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A judge has issued a big ruling regarding Taylor Frankie Paul and ex Dakota Mortensen’s ongoing legal battle.
“This has been a very toxic relationship. It’s beyond the pale in a lot of ways, the toxicity,” a judge said during a protective order hearing on Thursday, April 30, regarding the pair’s custody arrangement. “What I’ve seen from the evidence even post [the] last hearing, there seems to be a continuing attraction that they have for each other. … You guys have to figure out a lot here. You have to figure out how to function as coparents.”
The judge issued mutual protective orders for both Paul, 31 and Mortensen, 33, and ordered each party to stay 100 feet from each other.
“I’m hoping that you’re not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict. You’ve got to put your child first and shield the child from this conflict,” the judge said before addressing the custody battle. “I’m going to leave the current order in place. I need to think a little bit more about this lifting of supervision. I have mixed feelings about it.”
During the ruling, the judge called Paul and Mortensen’s relationship “dysfunction” and urged them to work on themselves for the benefit of their child.
“You’re linked together for the remainder of your lives,” the judge explained. “You’re modeling how you deal with conflict to a 2-year-old.”
In regards to previous evidence of Paul and Mortensen’s alleged domestic disputes, the judge expressed a belief that “there’s been violence that’s occurred both ways between these parties.”
“Now the difference, I think, is that with Taylor, her conduct is more reactive. Dakota knows what to do, that to get under her skin, so to speak, and she reacts,” the judge claimed. “I think [Dakota is] just more deliberative. I think in the sense of subtle, maybe is one way to put it.”
The judge added that he won’t be making a decision on the exes supervision aspect of their case explaining, “If I’m continuing to supervise Taylor’s parent time, I’m wary that Dakota may actually try to use that as a way to manipulate and control her.”
Paul temporarily lost custody of 2-year-old son Ever earlier in April, stemming from a series of back-and-forth allegations of domestic violence between the former couple. She was allowed supervised visitations with Ever for eight hours each week. (Taylor also shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul.)
Us Weekly confirmed in March that Utah police opened an investigation into Taylor and Mortensen after they allegedly got into an altercation weeks prior.
“There’s more to the context to everything and it’s unfortunate,” the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star told Us last month, denying the accusations made by Mortensen. “It’s been hard. It sucks to be in this position. And the mother that I am, that is something I will always stand my ground on. I believe that I am a good mother and I have always treated my kids very well.”
Mortensen was subsequently granted a temporary protective order against Taylor, barring the exes from contact and awarding him sole custody of Ever. Taylor has since requested her own restraining order against Dakota, which was also granted.
Police officers later declined to press charges against Taylor over the incident.
“Taylor feels like she will bounce back from this, especially now that there won’t be any charges filed against her,” a source exclusively told Us on April 17. “She knows her legal battle is far from over but does feel like she had a small victory.”
Mortensen, for his part, later issued a statement.
“Over the past several weeks, I’ve taken a step back and had time away from the chaos. That space has been a breath of fresh air and has given me clarity,” he wrote via Instagram on April 20. “My focus now is where it should have been all along-on my son and creating a stable, healthy environment for him moving forward.”
He continued, “I regret not stepping away from the difficult cycle sooner. I’m not perfect, and I take accountability for my part. I’m sincerely sorry to those I’ve hurt. At the same time, I don’t agree with how this situation has been portrayed publicly. It does not reflect the full context of what occurred or the impact it has had on me and my son.”
Taylor was previously arrested in February 2023 after a separate domestic violence incident with Mortensen. She pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault as part of a plea deal to dismiss additional charges pertaining to child abuse. Taylor was subsequently remanded to probation.
Footage from the 2023 altercation was leaked in March, in which Taylor physically assaulted and threw chairs at Mortensen in front of her daughter.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
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