salt lake city — Taylor’s lawyers Frankie Paul, reality TV star from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” The father of her 2-year-old son will file dueling petitions for protective orders against each other on Thursday in a case that could determine who gets custody of their child.
Both Paul and her former partner, Dakota Mortensen, asked a Utah court to convert short-term protective orders into long-term arrangements as the two accused each other of domestic violence.
3rd District Court Commissioner Russell Minas said at an April 7 hearing that he had “concerns both ways” about the competing claims. For now, Paul She cannot spend unsupervised time with her son Because of a history of erratic behavior directed at Mortensen while the children were present, Minas ruled.
Paul and Mortensen, whose turbulent relationship featured heavily on the show, were ordered to stay at least 100 feet (30 meters) away from each other until the hearing Thursday afternoon. A court spokesman said they were expected to attend in person after attending the previous session virtually.
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Editor’s Note: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 in the U.S.
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Eleven altercations between the exes were under scrutiny in their protective order applications. A recently leaked video of one of the fights from 2023 prompted ABC to take an unprecedented step last month Commentary on an already filmed season of The Bachelorette Paul starring. Hulu also paused production on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and resumed filming last week.
In the video, Paul was seen punching, kicking and throwing chairs at Mortensen while her daughter watched and cried. Paul was charged with aggravated assault and other crimes, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. Police body camera footage of her arrest was featured in the first season of the Hulu series.
Ball pleaded guilty to the assault charge, which will be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor if she stays out of trouble with the law for a three-year probation period that ends in August. The other charges were dismissed.
Earlier this month, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced He refused to file new charges Against Paul in recent fights with Mortensen. Any new charges would have violated Paul’s probation from the 2023 attack.
Not prosecuting could help Ball and her attorney take her case to the court commissioner as she fights to regain custody of her son.
A protective order in Utah can restrict or eliminate a parent’s ability to see their child. When one parent receives a protective order against the other, the court commissioner may also determine that it is in the best interest of the child to award custody to that parent. If both parents have orders of protection against each other, the court will rely heavily on the recommendations of the attorney appointed to investigate the best interests of the child.
Paul and Mortensen’s son, Iver, will have a court-appointed attorney present at Thursday’s hearing to help the commissioner determine the safest arrangement for the boy.
Attorney Michael McDonald said during the April 7 hearing that he had concerns about Paul’s tendency to fight with Mortensen in front of their son.
Eric Swinyard, Paul’s attorney, argued that Mortensen is the aggressor in the relationship. He showed the court photos of Ball’s bruises after a fight in a truck in which Ball claimed Mortensen hit her head on the dashboard.
Mortensen’s attorney, Daniela Diaz, described other fights between the couple and said Paul was using their son “as a pawn to start fights.”