Salt Lake City judge granted both sides restraining orders from one another as they sort out child custody

A Salt Lake City judge on Thursday ordered that Taylor Frankie Paul and her former partner, Dakota Mortensen, keep a distance of 100 feet from one another for the next three years while a court commissioner determines what’s best for their toddler son, Ever, according to The Associated Press. Both Paul, a star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives whose bid at The Bachelorette ended in controversy and disgrace, and Mortensen had asked for restraining orders from one another.

The reality TV star has not seen her 2-year-old son unsupervised since Third District Court Commissioner Russell Minas decided at an April 7 hearing that Paul and Mortensen had both acted violently toward one another in front of the child. In the three weeks since that hearing, Minas has come to the decision that Paul’s and Mortensen’s relationship is “very toxic,” per the AP, and that “there’s been violence that occurred both ways between these parties.” He asked the parents to discuss how they can work together to raise their son.

Mortensen presently has custody of the couple’s son. Minas plans to make a recommendation regarding future custody on May 11. A court-appointed lawyer was present to advocate for their son.

“I’m hoping that you’re not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict,” Minas told the parents. “You’ve got to put your child first and shield the child from this conflict.” While Paul’s and Mortensen’s families were present, the AP noted that none of Paul’s Secret Wives costars attended the hearing.

“Taylor was incredibly candid with the Court that she is not perfect and owned her faults, which is in direct contrast to how the other party presented their argument, despite evidence and input from law enforcement that showed otherwise,” Paul’s attorney Eric M. Swinyard tells Rolling Stone. The lawyer added that Paul “looks forward to continuing to cooperate with the Court to make progress in the custody case.”

A rep for Mortensen did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.

On Thursday, Swinyard told the court commissioner that Mortensen was bigger and stronger than Paul, according to the AP, and that when, during a fight, he told her to hit him, and she did. He described fights over recent miscarriages and her feeling that he was ignoring her when their son was sick. He also alleged that one time when Paul slipped, Mortensen took the opportunity to kick her when she was on the ground.

Mortensen’s lawyer, Brent Salazar-Hall, claimed his client was the victim of abuse, as Paul allegedly would message him asking for sex. He also gave accounts of physical abuse, alleging that one time Paul squeezed Motensen’s face during an argument while driving, prompting his client to push her back. Paul’s lawyer addressed this incident, claiming Mortensen pushed her head into the dashboard so hard it bruised her.

A leaked video of one of Paul’s and Mortensen’s fights from 2023, in which she appeared to punch, kick, and throw chairs at him in front of her daughter from another relationship, prompted ABC to pull the plug on her upcoming season of The Bachelorette, and Hulu subsequently paused production on The Secret Wives. When determining each parent’s requests for protective orders against the other, the court considered 11 separate incidents. Swinyard alleged that Mortensen leaked the video; Salazar-Hall denied this allegation on behalf of his client, according to the AP.

Police arrested Paul after that fight. She pleaded guilty to assault, and her offense was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor with the caveat that she avoid legal clashes for three years. That period could come to an end in August.