Taylor Frankie Paul Granted Temporary Protective Order Against Ex Dakota Mortensen — After Claiming 'He Slammed Her Head into Dashboard of His Truck' in Bombshell Filing
Taylor Frankie Paul was granted a restraining order against her ex, Dakota Mortensen.
April 7 2026, Published 1:52 p.m. ET
Taylor Frankie Paul has been granted a temporary protective order against her ex, Dakota Mortensen, RadarOnline.com can report, until the bickering former couple's next hearing at the end of the month.
The would-be star of The Bachelorette claims Mortensen displayed a "pattern of abusive conduct and coercive control" during their failed relationship.
Dueling Restraint Requests
She's fighting back after he was granted custody of their son.
The move comes after Mortensen, 33, filed a protective order of his own against the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, 31, last month.
He was granted temporary custody of their 2-year-old son, Ever, at the time, but at the hearing on Tuesday, April 7, a judge allowed Paul to have "supervised parenting" until at least the next court date, currently scheduled for April 30. Paul will be able to spend up to eight hours a week with the toddler.
In her filing, Paul detailed several alleged incidents during which Mortensen acted violently towards her. The filing also included photos of bruises, which she claims were caused by her ex.
During one incident on Feb. 23, Paul claimed Mortensen "slammed her head against the dashboard of his truck and struck her knee and elbow" after driving Paul away from her home against her will, where her three children were sleeping inside.
Paul Claims Mortensen Wanted 'Sex' After Their Fight
The reality star blames her ex for ruining her career.
Paul's filing claims Mortensen's paperwork was an "effort to sabotage my career" as the breakdown of their relationship continues to provide ammunition for their growing feud.
The reality star's career was shattered when her much-hyped season of The Bachelorette was yanked by ABC on March 19, hours after the discovery of a video from her 2023 domestic violence incident with Mortensen, who filmed what happened on his phone.
She was seen putting him in a chokehold and kicking him, as Mortensen heartbreakingly claimed that all you ever did was "hurt" their son.
However, in court, Paul's lawyer read text messages between the two that he argued showed Mortensen was not actually hurt, but in reality turned on by their fight.
"This supposed victim of domestic violence is looking for sex. Plain and simple," Paul's attorney said, before reading the text messages. "He asks her, 'Do you wanna f--k?'
"In the immediate aftermath of her supposedly attacking him, that’s what he’s looking for. That’s what he’s physically on her door step demanding as proven by these text messages."
Criminal Charges
Her season of 'The Bachelorette' will likely never air.
Paul later chucked three metal chairs at him from across the room as her crying daughter sat nearby. Mortensen noted, "This is called physical abuse," and pleaded, "Your daughter is right here," as she nearly got clipped by the flying furniture.
The MomTok star was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault, two counts of felony domestic violence in the presence of a child, and misdemeanor child abuse and criminal mischief.
Paul pled guilty to one count of third-degree felony aggravated assault in August 2023, in a plea in abeyance.
After the video was released, production on the latest season of The Secret Wives of Mormon Wives was halted, while Paul's season of The Bachelorette is never expected to air.
ABC 'Ignored Red Flags'
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Paul was arrested and charged with assault.
ABC directly connected the assault video to Paul's Bachelorette season getting axed.
A network spokesperson said, "In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family."
However, there were reportedly plenty of red flags that Paul was problematic during filming.
"This wasn’t something they discovered later. It was happening while they were filming," a source told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who wrote about it on Substack.
"There were complaints during filming,” the spy shared. "People spoke up – but nothing changed."
"Several of the men knew she had a temper while they were there. They saw it firsthand," the insider revealed.
