Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen have both been granted mutual protective orders for three years.
The decision comes amidst a court hearing where a Utah judge criticized both for the “toxicity” of their relationship.
Judge Calling Out Former Couple
The judge’s ruling happened during a court hearing on April 30th, regarding the custody arrangement for their son, Ever. It was the first time the pair had appeared together since news broke of their domestic violence cases against each other.
Commissioner Russell Minas told the courtroom that the couple cannot be in the same place, as “it turns violent.”
“I’m finding that there’s been violence both ways between these parties. … This has been a very toxic relationship. It’s beyond the pale in a lot of ways, the toxicity.”
For their son, the two will have to learn how to work together. “
What I’ve seen from the evidence even post last hearing, there seems to be a continuing attraction that they have for each other. You guys have to figure out a lot here. You have to figure out how to function as coparents,” he said. “This is dysfunctional.”
He continued, “You’re linked together for the remainder of your lives. This is your legacy. You’re modeling right now how you deal with conflict to a 2-year-old.”
Minas also stated he intends to keep Paul and Mortensen “away from each other for now,” stating that “what’s best” for Ever is that they “not be in the same place at the same time.”
He finished by stating, “All of the evidence” seems to show that “that is a bad idea.”
The pair has their next hearing on June 1st.
“Violence … Both Ways”
The judge added that he believed there had “been violence that’s occurred both ways between these parties,” though Paul’s “conduct” was “more reactive.”
He hopes that Mortensen and Paul aren’t “people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict” as they need to put their “child first and shield the child from this conflict.”
He stated, “Dakota knows what to do, that to get under her skin, so to speak, and she reacts. I think [he is] just more deliberative.”
While he made rulings on the protective orders, the judge held back on the ruling for Paul’s current supervision during visitation.
He claimed he was “wary that Dakota may actually try to use that as a way to manipulate and control her.”
Domestic Violence Case
The judge’s latest ruling comes after the Draper City Police Department and the West Jordan Police Department opened domestic violence cases in February, centering on Paul and Mortensen.
The cases appeared from a series of allegations against each other, claiming the other acted violently. There have been at least three domestic violence investigations between the two departments.
In April, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office and the Draper City Prosecutor both declined to file charges against Paul, citing insufficient evidence.
While all of this was going on, Mortensen filed for a protective order against Paul. She filed one against Mortensen just weeks later.
Previous Court Hearings
The last court hearing the former couple had was in April, when a judge granted Mortensen custody of their son, Ever. Paul was granted up to eight hours per week of visitation supervised by a paid supervisor.
The agreement was in effect until the April 30th hearing.
2023 Arrest
Paul was previously arrested in 2023 for alleged domestic violence against Mortensen.
She was accused of throwing metal chairs at him while her daughter, Indy, was in the room with them. Allegedly, Indy was also hit during the incident. Paul later pleaded guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault, and the other charges were dropped.
While the incident was three years ago, the case garnered renewed attention in March when TMZ published a video of the altercation.