A Utah court granted Dakota Mortensen a temporary protective order against reality TV star Taylor Frankie Paul on Friday, March 20. She is barred from seeing their two-year-old son Ever until at least April 7. The ruling comes one day after ABC canceled her upcoming season of The Bachelorette — just three days before it was set to premiere.
The order, approved by a commissioner at the 3rd District Court in Salt Lake City, requires Taylor Frankie Paul to stay at least 100 feet away from Dakota Mortensen at all times, including from his home. She is prohibited from contacting him by phone, email or mail. The only permitted communication between the two must occur through mediation sessions tied to the custody case. She is also forbidden from owning or purchasing firearms.
February incidents at the center of the filing
Mortensen filed his petition for a protective order on March 17 in Utah. In the documents, he describes two separate incidents that allegedly occurred on February 23 and 24 at Paul’s home, with their son present.
He claims she choked him during an argument that escalated, and that he had to physically remove her hands from his neck while she shoved him into a window. He described the situation as « chaotic » and « frightening. » According to the filing, their son woke up amid the commotion as Paul was yelling and screaming.
Mortensen says he called 911 for help, but alleges Paul « pressured and manipulated » him into telling the dispatcher the child was sick in order to end the call. He says he eventually left the home with Ever for their safety. Shortly after, Paul allegedly texted him claiming she had a bloody nose and needed medical attention — which he believes was an attempt to get him to return and stop him from calling police. He says he suffered bruises and lacerations as a result of the incident.
Draper City Police confirmed an open domestic assault investigation, noting that « allegations have been made in both directions. »
Paul disputes the allegations
Through her spokesperson, Taylor Frankie Paul strongly pushed back against the portrayal of herself as the aggressor. In a statement issued to multiple outlets, her team said she had been « silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse » for years and was « finally gaining the strength to face her accuser. » The statement said she is « taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm. »
Her team also described the release of a 2023 video — which triggered the cancellation of The Bachelorette — as « a never-ending, desperate, attention-seeking, destructive campaign » to harm her, insisting the footage « conveniently omits context. »
ABC pulls The Bachelorette season three days before premiere
The crisis took a dramatic turn Thursday when TMZ published video footage from 2023 showing Paul physically attacking Mortensen, throwing chairs at him — one of which struck her young daughter. The scene unfolds with a child present in the room.
Within hours, Disney — ABC’s parent company — announced it was canceling the entire season 22 of The Bachelorette, which had been set to premiere Sunday, March 22. « In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family, » a Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson said.
It marks the first time in the franchise’s history that a fully filmed season has been scrapped before airing.
A history of legal trouble
This is not the first time Taylor Frankie Paul has faced legal proceedings related to violence involving Mortensen. In 2023, she was arrested after an incident in which she threw chairs at him — one hitting her own daughter. She subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of felony aggravated assault, and the remaining charges were dropped as part of a plea deal.
That prior arrest was already a matter of public record when she was tapped to lead The Bachelorette — a decision widely seen as a gamble from the start. Paul, 31, has 6.1 million TikTok followers and 2.3 million on Instagram. She is the founding figure of MomTok, the Utah influencer collective that spawned Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
Production on season five of that show has also been paused. Cast members reportedly told ABC executives at a March 7 Zoom call that they had concerns about continuing the show with Paul involved. Cinnabon also announced it was terminating its brand partnership with both shows.
At the April 7 hearing, the court will decide on the future of the custody arrangement and whether the protective order should be extended.
Also worth noting: on the day Mortensen filed his petition at the courthouse, he crossed paths in the lobby with Taylor’s ex-husband, Tate Paul — who had reportedly shown up separately to file his own protective order against her.
