Dakota Mortensen, the ex-boyfriend of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and would-be “The Bachelorette” star Taylor Frankie Paul, was granted temporary custody of their two-year-old child, People reported Friday.
The decision came a day after Mortensen filed for a protective order against Paul amid an active investigation into a “domestic violence incident” between the two where allegations were made in both directions. Mortensen will reportedly maintain full custody of their son until an April 7 hearing where Paul can speak to her side of events.
“No parent time is allowed until the scheduled hearing,” the order notes.
Legal representatives for Paul and Mortensen did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
It’s been a week of fallout for embattled reality TV star Paul following the unprecedented cancellation of “The Bachelorette” Season 22 by ABC, which was set to premiere this Sunday, after a video of her 2023 domestic assault incident was leaked to TMZ. Paul was set to lead the season and took time off of the Hulu phenomenon “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” to film.
Questions already were raised as to whether or not the season would make it to air on Monday, when Hulu paused production for “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” Season 5 after a new domestic violence investigation into Paul and Mortensen was opened.
A representative for Paul condemned the release of the 2023 video on Thursday, saying it fits into a “pattern of manipulation” from Mortensen amid their latest conflict.
“Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son’s birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior,” the rep said. “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.”
At the time of the documented incident, Paul was arrested and pleaded guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault. She was then put on a three-year probation, which is set to end this August.
