Washington [US], June 3: Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen returned to a Utah court Monday to discuss parenting time for their 2-year-old son, Ever.
During the virtual hearing, Commissioner Russell Minas recommended lifting supervision for Paul's visits with their son and granted her more time with the toddler. The recommended time is one weekday (not overnight) that remains consistent for Ever, and alternating weekends with Mortensen to spend time with Ever. Mortensen, however, remains the custodial parent when it comes to holidays.
"I'm encouraged and I think we're moving in the right direction," Commissioner Minas told the former couple.
Commissioner Minas also recommended that both parties follow recommendations from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and that the two parties choose a private guardian ad litem by the end of the week, where further proceedings related to Ever are carried out via a custody and support case.
The mutual protective orders recommended for Paul and Mortensen during their April 30 hearing, keeping them 100 feet apart, remain in place.
Additionally, the commissioner recommended a stipulation that keeps the couple, whose respective lives are public, restrained from making disparaging comments about one another.
The hearing came after mutual three-year protective orders for Paul and Mortensen were recommended by a court official on April 30. A week after that hearing, Paul's parenting time with Ever was upped to 12 hours a week, from eight (which had been agreed upon in an April 7 hearing).
At the April 30 hearing, Commissioner Minas told Paul and Mortensen, "You guys have to figure out a lot here. You have to figure out how to function as co-parents." He added that the ex-couple were in a "very toxic relationship" that is "beyond the pale."
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Paul and Mortensen's tumultuous on-and-off relationship has been marked by reciprocal allegations of domestic violence. In February 2023, Paul and Mortensen got into an argument that turned violent when Paul threw metal barstools at Mortensen. She was initially charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief and commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child (Paul's daughter, Indy, was present at the time of the argument).
In a subsequent plea agreement, Paul pleaded guilty to in abeyance to aggravated assault and was placed on probation (set to conclude in August).
Paul and Mortensen were more recently involved in a domestic violence investigation concerning two incidents that allegedly happened in February and a third dating back to 2024.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a Hulu reality show Paul has starred on, paused filming its fifth season amid these allegations. A source told Entertainment Weekly at the time that the alleged incidents didn't happen in the presence of any children or when cameras were rolling.
Amid the investigation, a video of the February 2023 altercation between Mortensen and Paul was published by TMZ, which depicted Paul hurling metal chairs. Paul's season of The Bachelorette was then shelved days before its planned premiere by ABC's parent company, Disney.
In response to the video emerging, Paul's rep told EW that it was "sad to see the latest installment of his never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign to harm Taylor without any regard for the consequences for their child."
Mortensen released his own statement, saying, "As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation. I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same." The following day, Mortensen was granted custody of Ever, along with a temporary restraining order against Paul.
Weeks later, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office decided that Paul wouldn't face new criminal charges following the domestic violence investigation, as several of the allegations fell outside the statute of limitations and others lacked "sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges."
Paul and Mortensen are due back in court on July 8.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
