Taylor Frankie Paul’s Lawyer Unveils New Details in Alleged Domestic Violence Incident
Taylor Frankie Paul’s lawyer unveiled new claims about an alleged February domestic violence incident involving ex Dakota Mortensen, as the pair appeared virtually in court on April 7 to hash out visitation after Mortensen was granted temporary custody of their 2-year-old son, Ever.
Well, this one is not a low-drama update. Taylor Frankie Paul (31), from 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,' and her ex Dakota Mortensen (33) were back in virtual court on Tuesday, April 7, trying to sort out visitation for their 2-year-old son, Ever. In the middle of that, Taylor’s lawyer laid out a late-night incident from February that her team is calling a 'truck tussle.'
What the judge decided this week
For now, Taylor gets supervised time with Ever for eight hours a week. That setup runs until a protective hearing on April 30, when the court will take another look and decide if anything changes.
The visits have to be supervised by a neutral third party. The court did leave wiggle room: if both sides agree on who supervises, and that person formally agrees to be under the court’s jurisdiction, they can make it work. Translation: it can be a mutually approved person, but not a random friend unless they’re willing to sign on and be accountable to the court.
The February 'truck tussle' allegation, as told in court
According to Taylor’s lawyer, Mortensen showed up at Taylor’s house after midnight on February 23 to talk about their relationship. Taylor’s kids were asleep inside — Ever, plus her two children with ex-husband Tate Paul: Indy (8) and Ocean (5) — so she suggested they go sit in his truck to avoid waking anyone.
Her attorney says Mortensen then drove off with Taylor still in the truck, leaving the kids alone in the house. At some point during that drive, her lawyer claims Mortensen grabbed Taylor’s head and slammed it into the dashboard, and also hit her in the knee hard enough to leave bruises. Taylor’s team filed photos of those bruises as court exhibits on Tuesday.
Afterward, per Taylor’s attorney, she told Mortensen she wanted a separation and to leave her alone. He allegedly dropped her back at home but hung around on the doorstep, looked through her windows, and later sent a text message that read:
'Do you want to f***?'
Her side says they also submitted screenshots of that exchange in court, along with other 'possessive' texts from Mortensen dated February 16 — about a week before the truck incident.
Mortensen’s legal team pushed back, saying Taylor invited him over that night. They also argued that Taylor uses Ever as a 'pawn,' and that Mortensen’s priority is protecting their son.
Protective orders and where custody stands
It’s not just visitation on the table. A judge granted Mortensen a temporary protective order against Taylor on March 20 and gave him temporary custody of Ever. Then, earlier on Tuesday, Taylor filed her own temporary protective order against Mortensen. All of that hangs over the April 30 hearing, where the court will reassess Taylor’s parenting-time restrictions.
Context: Taylor’s 2023 case
This is all unfolding more than three years after a separate domestic violence case involving Taylor in February 2023. She was arrested then on suspicion of aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse, and criminal mischief. She later pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault as part of a deal that dropped the other charges. If she follows the terms for three years, that felony will be reduced to a misdemeanor.
Quick timeline
- Feb 16: Taylor’s camp says 'possessive' texts from Mortensen begin (submitted as exhibits).
- Feb 23: The late-night 'truck tussle' allegedly happens after Mortensen arrives past midnight; Taylor’s lawyer says he drove off with her, an altercation occurred, and her team filed bruise photos.
- Mar 20: Judge grants Mortensen a temporary protective order against Taylor and temporary custody of Ever.
- Apr 7 (virtual hearing): Taylor is granted supervised visitation with Ever, eight hours per week, pending an April 30 protective hearing; supervision must be by a neutral third party or another agreed-upon person who accepts court oversight.
- Apr 7 (earlier that day): Taylor files a temporary protective order against Mortensen.
- Apr 30: Next hearing, when the judge will reevaluate Taylor’s parenting-time restrictions.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.