Dakota Mortensen Files A Restraining Order Against Taylor Frankie Paul

Dakota Mortensen filed a restraining order against Taylor Frankie Paul and requested 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 the court filing, Mortensen 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 come 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.

On March 18, Mortensen addressed the rumors through his rep’s statement to Entertainment Weekly. "His number one priority here is protecting ... Ever," the statement read. "He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor. It's been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well.”

"He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He's never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side,” Mortensen’s statement continued. “He kind of just lets it all happen to him, and I think he realizes with the severity of everything now that he just can't do that."

At the time, Paul told Us Weekly, “There’s more to the context to everything and it’s unfortunate.”

Then, on March 19, a video of Paul and Mortensen’s domestic violence incident from 2023 (after which she pled guilty to felony aggravated assault) was leaked. The video showed Paul hitting Mortensen and throwing metal barstools at him. In the video, Paul’s daughter, Indy, was near Mortensen while she threw the chairs. Indy can be heard crying in the clip.

Paul's rep told Entertainment Weekly in a March 19 statement, "It's 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. Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son's birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior. Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is and sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show, and from their own experiences."

After the Bachelorette cancelation, Paul’s rep issued another statement about the alleged “extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation” that Paul has suffered. “Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm,” read the statement, which was obtained by People.

"There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives,” it continued. “Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story."