Taylor Frankie Paul & Dakota Mortensen Are Both Granted Restraining Orders

Former couple Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen are taking their separation very seriously, filing a pair of protective orders against one another that will ensure they remain apart for several years.

Mortensen was first to file a restraining order against Paul, requesting sole custody of their son, Ever, amid an alleged domestic violence dispute. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Mortensen filed a protective order on March 17, referencing a “chaotic” and “frightening” fight in February that escalated into a physical altercation, during which Paul allegedly choked him. In the wake of these allegations, ABC decided to cancel Paul’s season of The Bachelorette.

In Mortensen’s filing, he alleged that he and Paul got into a disagreement when he was at her home with their son on Feb. 23. According to him, Paul choked him, pushed him into a window, and struck him. He added that he called 911 at the time, but Paul "pressured and manipulated" him into ending the call.

Mortensen continued, claiming that Paul was "emotionally volatile" and said she wanted to hurt herself. He added that he tried to calm the situation down, but it didn’t work, and Paul’s “aggressive behavior” woke up their child. That night, he left the house and brought Ever home with him.

According to the court docs, another argument happened on Feb. 24, during which Mortensen alleged that Paul threw his phone into a wall and "physically blocked [him] from exiting” her house. She later followed him into his truck, and although Mortensen tried to drive away, she “grabbed and squeezed” his face, threw a drink on him, and struck his car.

“I was unable to safely leave while this was happening, and my child had been left inside the home during the chaos under her watch due to our custody agreement,” Mortensen claimed in the filing. He also said that, in an effort to protect himself, he “pushed her away from [him], which she made contact with the passenger seat.”

After leaving the house, Paul allegedly texted Mortensen, informing him that she had a bloody nose, which he thought was “an attempt to get me to return and prevent me from calling the police." Mortensen added that he was "genuinely concerned for my safety and the safety and well-being of my child."

Mortensen also claimed that he had bruises and lacerations after the altercation.

These court docs came on the heels of domestic violence rumors surrounding Paul. On March 16, People reported that an open "domestic assault investigation" regarding Paul and Mortensen had put The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 5 production on pause.

A few weeks after Mortensen’s filing, Paul filed her own protective order against her ex on April 7, claiming that his “pattern of abusive conduct and coercive control” reached extremes in early 2026 as her season of The Bachelorette neared its premiere date.

The first important judicial ruling was issued on April 14, with the Salt Lake County district attorney’s office deciding that Mortensen’s domestic violence claims against Paul lacked the “sufficient evidence” to amount to legal charges.

The decision on the dueling restraining orders arrived on April 30, when judge Russell Minas ruled that both Paul and Mortensen would be legally required to remain at least 100 feet apart for three years. “I do think it’s important that there be mutual orders,” Minas said. “I am just concerned that if I don’t order both of them to stay away from each other, there’s going to be some additional problems.” He added: “You two need to stay away from each other and there needs to be orders that will result in consequences if you attempt to try to engage each other.”

A decision has yet to be made on the custody of Ever. Judge Minas said he will deliver his ruling in the custody dispute on May 11.