Taylor Frankie Paul, known for her roles in “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and the canceled season of “The Bachelorette,” will not face charges following recent altercations with her ex-partner, as confirmed by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday. Investigations by police in Draper City and West Jordan revealed allegations of domestic violence by Dakota Mortensen, Paul’s former partner and father of their two-year-old child, in 2024 and February this year. Paul also accused Mortensen, but these claims were not addressed in the legal documents.
Any new charges against Paul would have violated her probation stemming from an assault on Mortensen in 2023. The duo has both sought protective orders against each other, set for a future hearing. According to Breanne Miller from the district attorney’s Family Protection Unit, some incidents did not meet the threshold for criminal charges, while others lacked substantial evidence for prosecution. Notably, certain reported incidents occurred over three years ago, falling outside the statute of limitations for review.
The decision not to press charges does not impact Mortensen’s existing protective order against Paul, temporarily granted with a potential long-term extension following an upcoming hearing on April 30. However, the lack of prosecution may support Paul and her legal team in presenting their case to a court commissioner who previously ruled on supervised visits with her son.
During an April 7 hearing, Paul’s lawyer, Eric Swinyard, argued that Mortensen initiated a physical altercation in February, described as “the truck tussle.” Mortensen alleged that Paul threw a drink at him during an argument in a truck to avoid disturbing sleeping children inside her residence, but Swinyard countered with claims that Mortensen forcibly pushed Paul’s head and punched her leg, supported by photographic evidence of bruises.
In a separate incident in 2023, ABC halted an already-filmed season of “The Bachelorette” due to leaked footage showing Paul engaging in violent behavior towards Mortensen, including assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child. Paul pleaded guilty to assault, with the felony charge potentially reduced to a misdemeanor upon completing a three-year probation. Other charges were dropped.
An attorney representing the couple’s son cited additional video evidence from May of the previous year, depicting Paul pushing Mortensen while demanding he leave the premises with their child in his arms. Concerns were raised about Paul’s behavior in the presence of her son. Both sides’ attorneys presented conflicting narratives, with Paul’s counsel accusing Mortensen of using their child as a shield to provoke conflicts, while Mortensen’s lawyer claimed Paul instigated disputes using their son as a tool.
The tumultuous relationship between Paul and Mortensen, prominently featured on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” since its 2024 debut, played a significant role in Paul’s rise to reality TV fame, with the show even airing footage of her 2023 arrest.