Taylor Frankie Paul during a 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' reunion. Fred Hayes/Disney In the latest legal escalation tied to a reality TV scandal that has rocked the genre, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul, whose Bachelorette season was recently scrapped amid investigations into alleged domestic violence incidents, filed for a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, in Salt Lake City District Court on Tuesday.
The filing came just an hour before the former couple was scheduled to appear in court over an existing order of protection Mortensen had filed against Paul. Both requests stem from a late-February altercation in which the two accused each other of domestic violence. A lawyer for Paul confirmed to NBC News that her filing was “hot off the presses.”
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While many of the details of Paul’s request to the court remain unknown as of today, People reported that Paul alleges that Mortensen has a “pattern of abusive conduct and coercive control.”
Jordan and Draper, Utah, currently have open investigations into the couple stemming from domestic violence claims. Mortensen has made allegations against Paul in the Jordan case, and NBC reports that police are reviewing multiple videos from the alleged 2024 incident. In Draper, an incident in February involving both Paul and Mortensen, with allegations on both sides, is underway.
The dispute is the latest development in a saga that has already disrupted one of reality TV’s buzziest franchises. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Hulu announced that filming on the latest season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives would be halted amid reports of the altercation and a police investigation in Draper, Utah.
Subsequent reporting further intensified scrutiny. Footage obtained by TMZ appeared to show a separate February 2023 fight between Paul and Mortensen. In the video, which quickly spread online, Paul is seen throwing metal barstools at Mortensen while he stands near one of her children. Paul later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in connection with that incident and remains on probation through August.
Despite the controversy, Paul’s profile has continued to rise. As her notoriety grew through the Hulu reality series, she was cast as the central figure on an upcoming season of The Bachelorette, positioning her as the latest crossover from unscripted TV notoriety to mainstream dating franchise fame. As the scandal around Paul exploded, ABC made the unprecedented decision to forego airing her season of the massively popular show.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives released its fourth season on March 12.
More to come.
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