{"id":7400,"date":"2026-04-03T03:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T03:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/taylor-frankie-paul-and-dakota-mortensen-headed-for-explosive-court-showdown-over-restraining-order-and-custody-of-their-toddler\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T03:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T03:59:17","slug":"taylor-frankie-paul-and-dakota-mortensen-headed-for-explosive-court-showdown-over-restraining-order-and-custody-of-their-toddler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/taylor-frankie-paul-and-dakota-mortensen-headed-for-explosive-court-showdown-over-restraining-order-and-custody-of-their-toddler\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen Headed for Explosive Court Showdown Over Restraining Order and Custody of Their Toddler"},"content":{"rendered":"

Taylor Frankie Paul, the TikTok personality who rose to fame on Hulu\u2019s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives<\/em>, 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<\/em> show the former couple must appear\u2014remotely\u2014on April 7 to hash out temporary custody and \u201cparent-time provisions,\u201d and again on April 30 for a full hearing on the restraining order Mortensen requested after an alleged domestic dispute in February.<\/p>\n

How the Case Reached This Point<\/h2>\n

The trouble began in late February, when Mortensen told police that Paul \u201cchoked, scratched and yanked a necklace\u201d 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\u2019s 4.2 million TikTok followers would complicate any investigation. Once he did come forward, a state judge granted a temporary protective order<\/strong>, removing the toddler from Paul\u2019s care and placing Ever in Mortensen\u2019s temporary custody.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

What Each Side Is Arguing<\/h2>\n

Mortensen\u2019s filings paint a picture of escalating incidents: the February necklace episode, a separate 2023 quarrel in which Paul allegedly threw a children\u2019s toy that bruised their daughter (a claim Paul\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s legal team counters that Mortensen\u2019s delay weakens his credibility and that no medical records document the scratches or neck bruising he described. They also note that Utah\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s at Stake for Both Parents<\/h2>\n

Beyond the immediate question of who tucks Ever in at night, the hearings carry long-term consequences:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Custody:<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n
  • Reputation:<\/strong> A permanent protective order would appear in background checks and could jeopardize Paul\u2019s sponsorship deals with fashion and parenting brands.<\/li>\n
  • Criminal exposure:<\/strong> Any finding by the civil court that abuse \u201cmore likely than not\u201d occurred can be cited by prosecutors weighing assault charges.<\/li>\n
  • Relocation:<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    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.<\/p>\n

    What to Expect in the Remote Hearings<\/h2>\n

    Both sessions will be held over Webex; the public can listen but participants\u2019 video feeds are sealed to protect the child\u2019s privacy. On April 7, Judge Brown will review a parenting-time evaluator\u2019s report and could issue a \u201ctemporary custody order\u201d that remains in place until the protective-order question is resolved. On April 30, each side will present witnesses\u2014likely including the responding officer, a DCFS caseworker, and possibly Paul\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

    Because these are civil proceedings, the burden of proof is \u201cpreponderance of the evidence,\u201d a lower bar than the \u201cbeyond a reasonable doubt\u201d standard required for criminal conviction. That means the judge can issue a protective order even if prosecutors ultimately decline to file charges.<\/p>\n