Taylor Frankie Paul, the TikTok personality who rose to fame on Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and her ex-partner Dakota Mortensen are preparing for a two-part legal confrontation that could decide who raises their two-year-old son, Ever, and whether a long-term protective order will shadow Paul for years. Court records obtained by TMZ show the former couple must appear—remotely—on April 7 to hash out temporary custody and “parent-time provisions,” and again on April 30 for a full hearing on the restraining order Mortensen requested after an alleged domestic dispute in February.
How the Case Reached This Point
The trouble began in late February, when Mortensen told police that Paul “choked, scratched and yanked a necklace” from him during an argument inside the home they once shared in Herriman, Utah. According to the probable-cause statement, Mortensen waited several weeks to file paperwork because he feared the publicity surrounding Paul’s 4.2 million TikTok followers would complicate any investigation. Once he did come forward, a state judge granted a temporary protective order, removing the toddler from Paul’s care and placing Ever in Mortensen’s temporary custody.
Utah law treats protective-order hearings on an accelerated timeline; within 20 days the court must decide whether to convert the emergency order into a one-year or longer injunction. That decision now sits on Judge Jennifer Brown’s docket for April 30. The April 7 hearing, meanwhile, was added after Mortensen filed a parallel motion asking the court to formalize a parenting schedule that keeps Ever in his care until criminal prosecutors decide whether to charge Paul.
What Each Side Is Arguing
Mortensen’s filings paint a picture of escalating incidents: the February necklace episode, a separate 2023 quarrel in which Paul allegedly threw a children’s toy that bruised their daughter (a claim Paul’s mother later disputed with police), and a third episode Mortensen reported in 2022 but never pursued. Taken together, Mortensen argues, the pattern justifies both custody realignment and a protective order that would bar Paul from contacting him except through a court-approved parenting app.
Paul’s legal team counters that Mortensen’s delay weakens his credibility and that no medical records document the scratches or neck bruising he described. They also note that Utah’s Department of Child & Family Services investigated the 2023 toy incident and closed the file without finding evidence of child abuse. Paul has not been criminally charged in any of the encounters, though prosecutors confirmed they are reviewing the February case.
What’s at Stake for Both Parents
Beyond the immediate question of who tucks Ever in at night, the hearings carry long-term consequences:
- Custody: If Mortensen prevails, Paul could be relegated to supervised visits for months, a major shift for a mother whose social-media brand centers on family life.
- Reputation: A permanent protective order would appear in background checks and could jeopardize Paul’s sponsorship deals with fashion and parenting brands.
- Criminal exposure: Any finding by the civil court that abuse “more likely than not” occurred can be cited by prosecutors weighing assault charges.
- Relocation: Paul has hinted in since-deleted TikTok Lives that she wants to move to California; a restraining order would require court permission to take Ever across state lines.
Conversely, if the judge dissolves the temporary order, Mortensen could face an uphill battle to modify custody later, because Utah courts favor continuity for toddlers once a residential parent is affirmed.
What to Expect in the Remote Hearings
Both sessions will be held over Webex; the public can listen but participants’ video feeds are sealed to protect the child’s privacy. On April 7, Judge Brown will review a parenting-time evaluator’s report and could issue a “temporary custody order” that remains in place until the protective-order question is resolved. On April 30, each side will present witnesses—likely including the responding officer, a DCFS caseworker, and possibly Paul’s mother, who previously told police she saw no injuries on Ever the night of the 2023 incident. Cross-examination is expected to focus on why Mortensen waited weeks to report the February clash and why Paul did not document her own version of events at the scene.
Because these are civil proceedings, the burden of proof is “preponderance of the evidence,” a lower bar than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard required for criminal conviction. That means the judge can issue a protective order even if prosecutors ultimately decline to file charges.
The Bigger Picture for Influencers in Legal Trouble
The case illustrates a growing trend: social-media stars who monetize their family life can find that same content weaponized in court. Mortensen’s attorneys have already subpoenaed several of Paul’s TikTok clips for evidence that she “joked” about throwing objects at ex-partners. Conversely, Paul’s team plans to introduce text messages in which Mortensen appears to ask Paul to post joint content “for the money” after their split—messages they say undercut his claims of fear.
Legal experts say the dueling narratives show how difficult it can be for judges
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