Judge Orders Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen to Keep Distance Amid Ongoing Custody Dispute

A Salt Lake City court has ordered Taylor Frankie Paul and her former partner, Dakota Mortensen, to remain at least 100 feet apart for the next three years, following findings that their relationship involved mutual violence and posed concerns for the well-being of their young child.

The ruling, issued Thursday by Third District Court Commissioner Russell Minas, comes as part of an ongoing custody dispute over the couple’s two-year-old son, Ever. Both Paul and Mortensen had sought restraining orders against one another, prompting the court to evaluate a series of incidents between the two.

Minas concluded that the relationship was “very toxic” and stated that “there’s been violence that occurred both ways between these parties.” The judge emphasized that the focus moving forward must be on the child’s safety and stability, urging both parents to find a way to co-parent without exposing their son to further conflict.

As part of earlier decisions in the case, Paul has not been permitted unsupervised visits with her son since an April 7 hearing, during which the court determined that both parents had engaged in violent behavior in the child’s presence. Mortensen currently has custody, and a court-appointed attorney has been assigned to represent the child’s interests.

During the latest hearing, both sides presented competing accounts of the relationship’s breakdown. Paul’s attorney, Eric M. Swinyard, told the court that his client had acknowledged her shortcomings and taken responsibility for her actions. He contrasted her approach with Mortensen’s, arguing that evidence and input from law enforcement did not fully align with Mortensen’s claims.

Swinyard also argued that physical dynamics played a role in the incidents, noting that Mortensen is physically larger and stronger than Paul. He described one altercation in which Mortensen allegedly encouraged Paul to hit him, and she did. He also cited arguments related to personal stressors, including recent miscarriages and disputes over parenting responsibilities when their child was ill. In one alleged incident, Swinyard claimed Mortensen kicked Paul after she slipped and fell.

Mortensen’s attorney, Brent Salazar-Hall, disputed those claims and instead characterized his client as the victim of abuse. He alleged that Paul had engaged in aggressive behavior, including squeezing Mortensen’s face during an argument while he was driving, prompting him to push her away. Paul’s attorney countered that Mortensen’s response was excessive, alleging he pushed her head into the dashboard with enough force to leave visible bruising.

The court reviewed 11 separate incidents while considering the restraining order requests, reflecting a pattern of ongoing conflict. Minas expressed concern about the intensity of the disputes and the potential impact on the child. “You’ve got to put your child first and shield the child from this conflict,” he told the parents during the hearing.

The case has drawn public attention in part due to Paul’s visibility as a reality television figure. She appeared on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and had been slated to participate in The Bachelorette before her involvement in a prior domestic incident became public. A video from 2023 showing a confrontation between Paul and Mortensen, in which she appeared to strike him and throw objects in front of her child from another relationship, circulated online and led to professional consequences, including the cancellation of her appearance on the dating series and a pause in production related to her reality show.

Following that incident, Paul was arrested and later pleaded guilty to assault. The charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor on the condition that she avoid further legal issues for a three-year period, which is set to conclude this August.

The court is expected to issue a recommendation regarding long-term custody arrangements on May 11.