{"id":327674,"date":"2026-05-02T01:25:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=327674"},"modified":"2026-05-02T01:25:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:55:31","slug":"taylor-paul-and-dakota-mortensens-custody-battle-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/taylor-paul-and-dakota-mortensens-custody-battle-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor Paul and Dakota Mortensen’s Custody Battle Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives <\/i>stars Taylor Frankie Paul<\/strong> and Dakota Mortensen<\/strong> have tried to coparent son Ever since their fall 2024 split.<\/p>\n

Paul and Mortensen welcomed their first baby together, the MomTok content creator\u2019s third, in March 2024, months before they called it quits. As Paul and Mortensen navigated jointly raising their son, they kept dating on and off.<\/p>\n

Paul said that she broke up with Mortensen for good in fall 2025 before she was forged to star on The Bachelorette <\/i>season 22. Hours before flying to California to kickstart her recent journey, Paul revealed on Mormon Wives <\/i>season 4 that she attached with Mortensen again.<\/p>\n

Nearly two months after Paul wrapped The Bachelorette, <\/i>news broke in March 2026 that Salt Lake City police were investigating an alleged domestic violence incident from the month before between the exes.<\/p>\n

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Related: <\/span>‘Mormon Wives’ Halts Filming Amid Taylor and Dakota Dispute: What to Know<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has allegedly halted production after Taylor Frankie Paul and her off-and-on ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen were involved in a domestic violence dispute while filming season 5. Multiple outlets reported in March that an incident took place between Taylor and Dakota. A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department subsequently confirmed [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Keep scrolling for more on Paul and Mortensen\u2019s custody arrangements:<\/p>\n

Where Do Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen Stand After Alleged Incident?<\/b><\/h2>\n

A source exclusively told Us Weekly <\/i>in March 2026 that Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen don\u2019t have \u201ccommunication in any respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery little thing regarding custody of Ever is handled through members of the family,\u201d the insider told Us.<\/i><\/p>\n

Dakota Mortensen Files for Sole Custody<\/b><\/b><\/h2>\n

Dakota Mortensen filed a brief restraining order against ex Taylor Frankie Paul on March 17, 2026, in response to court documents obtained by TMZ<\/span><\/a>. Within the filing, Dakota claimed that he and Taylor had an altercation at her house in February 2026 where the Bachelorette allegedly choked him and shoved him right into a window.<\/p>\n

Dakota claimed that Taylor was \u201cemotionally volatile\u201d and said she desired to harm herself. Fearing for Ever\u2019s safety, Dakota took the toddler out of the home and requested temporary sole custody of Ever. He also requested that Taylor doesn\u2019t drink or use drugs while watching her kids.<\/p>\n

Dakota Mortensen Is Focused on Son Ever<\/b><\/h2>\n

After news broke of Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen\u2019s alleged investigation, the DadTok star issued a press release.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis primary priority here is protecting Ever,\u201d a rep for Mortensen told Entertainment Weekly <\/i>in March 2026. \u201cHe knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do this because he has all the time wanted an honest relationship with Taylor. It\u2019s been really hard to realize that, but he desires to coparent well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement continued, \u201cHe was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he often does, it will go away. He\u2019s never done any type of sit-down interview about his side. He type of just lets all of it occur to him, and I feel he realizes with the severity of all the pieces now that he just can\u2019t do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

A source also told Us <\/i>that Mortensen tried to \u201cbe supportive and stay out of the way in which\u201d after Paul returned to Utah from The Bachelorette <\/i>production.<\/p>\n

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Related: <\/span>Inside Mormon Wives’ Taylor, Dakota’s Messy Relationship: What They’ve Said<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tThe Secret Lives of Mormon Wives\u2018 Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen never shied away from addressing their messy \u2014 and oftentimes volatile \u2014 relationship ahead of their multiple domestic disputes. Before the show premiered on Hulu in September 2024, Taylor and Dakota began dating following her divorce from husband Tate Paul within the wake [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What Has Taylor Frankie Paul Said In regards to the Incident and Coparenting?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Taylor Frankie Paul broke her silence on the accusations in an exclusive interview with Us <\/i>at a March 17, 2026, press event for her season of The Bachelorette<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been hard, and it sucks to be on this position,\u201d the influencer told Us<\/i>, denying reports of kid abuse. <\/i>\u201c[As] the mother that I’m, that’s something I’ll all the time stand my ground on. I imagine that I’m mother and I even have all the time treated my kids thoroughly. \u2026 I even have all the time treated my children with respect and I\u2019ve never touched them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen Went to Court Over Custody Arrangements in 2025<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\n Dakota Mortensen and Taylor Frankie Paul on the \u2018Secret Lives of Mormon Wives\u2019 reunion.<\/span> Disney\/Fred Hayes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Based on court records obtained by TMZ<\/a> in March 2026, Dakota Mortensen filed for custody and child support in June 2025 before Taylor Frankie Paul subsequently filed a counterclaim. The outlet further reported that a proposed order was still pending by September 2025.<\/p>\n

Inside Taylor Frankie Paul\u2019s Coparenting Dynamic With Ex-Husband Tate Paul<\/b><\/h2>\n

Taylor Frankie Paul and Tate Paul<\/strong> welcomed daughter Indy and son Ocean before their 2022 divorce amid their viral \u201csoft-swinging\u201d scandal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe and I even have all the time been really good friends,\u201d Taylor told Us <\/i>in her March 2026 cover story. \u201cI even have a really healthy coparenting relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two years earlier, Taylor revealed in a 2023 TikTok<\/a> video that she and Tate have a \u201ccordial\u201d and\u00a0 \u201ceasy\u201d arrangement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made it a goal to get along and be friends, and make it the very best experience we possibly can for our children and ourselves,\u201d she said on the time. \u201cIt\u2019s been very flexible where we’ve our schedule, but when anything changes, and someone desires to take them somewhere for something, we\u2019re, like, \u2018Go for it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Were Taylor Frankie Paul\u2019s \u2018Bachelorette\u2019 Suitors Aware of Her Drama With Dakota Mortensen?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Taylor Frankie Paul told Us <\/i>in March 2026 that she spoke with the forged of The Bachelorette <\/i>about her exes and life as a single mom of three during season 22.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to be very open with them, especially people who asked, because I actually told everyone as an entire if there\u2019s anything you would like to know, please let me know,\u201d she told Us <\/i>on March 18, 2026. \u201cI wasn\u2019t attempting to shove all the pieces down their throat of that in my life, [but] I desired to tell them what they desired to know \u2026 Especially those towards the top, I used to be open with the situation. So yeah, I used to be very honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taylor\u2019s Bachelorette season was ultimately canceled by ABC following the discharge of footage showing her throwing chairs at Dakota Mortensen in a domestic violence incident in February 2023. (Taylor was arrested on the time and ultimately pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.)<\/p>\n

Dakota Mortensen Granted Temporary Custody of Son Ever<\/h2>\n

A judge granted Dakota Mortensen\u2019s request for temporary custody of Ever on March 20, 2026, in addition to a brief protective order against Taylor Frankie Paul.<\/p>\n

Each Mortensen and Taylor appeared in court to debate visitation on April 7, 2026. In the course of the hearing, Taylor\u2019s legal team claimed that Mortensen assaulted her in his truck in an alleged incident in February 2026. A guardian for Ever claimed that Taylor shoved Mortensen while he was holding the kid in his arms during an alleged incident in May 2025.<\/p>\n

Mortensen\u2019s team argued that Taylor uses Ever as a \u201cpawn\u201d and said that Mortensen is attempting to protect their son. Meanwhile, Taylor\u2019s team claimed that Mortensen has used Ever as a \u201chuman shield\u201d and that the kid is \u201csecure\u201d around Taylor.<\/p>\n

A judge ultimately sided with Mortensen and granted Taylor supervised time with Ever for eight hours per week until their protective hearing on April 30, at which point Taylor\u2019s parenting time restrictions will probably be reevaluated.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the April 7 hearing, Taylor filed for a brief protective order against Mortensen.<\/p>\n

Judge Rules on Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen\u2019s Protective Orders<\/h2>\n

Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen appeared in court on April 30, 2026, as a judge issued mutual protective orders, stating that they must stay 100 feet away from one another for 3 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a really toxic relationship. It\u2019s beyond the pale in a variety of ways, the toxicity,\u201d the judge stated through the hearing. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve seen from the evidence even post [the] last hearing, there appears to be a seamless attraction that they’ve for one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

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