A reality television personality from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” has been cleared of potential criminal charges stemming from domestic violence allegations earlier this year, according to Salt Lake County prosecutors.
The District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that Taylor Frankie Paul will not face charges related to two February incidents involving her former partner, Dakota Mortensen, who is the father of her 2-year-old child. Mortensen had filed domestic violence complaints with police departments in Draper City and West Jordan, both Salt Lake City suburbs.
Breanne Miller, an attorney with the district attorney’s Family Protection Unit, explained the decision in a written statement: “Several incidents that were submitted do not rise to the level of criminal offenses. The remaining incidents lack sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges.”
While Paul won’t face prosecution, the decision doesn’t directly impact the protective order proceedings between the former couple. Both individuals have sought protective orders against each other, with a hearing scheduled for April 30. Currently, Paul can only visit her son under supervised conditions, as ordered by a court commissioner.
During an April 7 court hearing, Paul’s lawyer Eric Swinyard described one February altercation as “the truck tussle,” claiming Mortensen was the primary aggressor. According to protective order documents, Mortensen alleged Paul threw a beverage at him during an argument in a vehicle, which occurred to avoid disturbing sleeping children inside Paul’s residence.
However, Swinyard countered that Mortensen struck Paul’s head against the dashboard and punched her leg, presenting photographs of her resulting injuries as evidence.
Paul’s legal troubles have significantly impacted her television career. A 2023 altercation between the couple prompted ABC to take the extraordinary step of canceling an already-completed season of “The Bachelorette” after footage of the incident became public last month. Additionally, her co-stars have requested that Hulu postpone production of the upcoming “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” season due to her ongoing domestic situation.
The leaked 2023 video showed Paul physically attacking Mortensen by punching, kicking, and hurling furniture while her young daughter witnessed the violence and became distressed. Paul entered a guilty plea to misdemeanor assault in that case, while more serious charges including aggravated assault and domestic violence in a child’s presence were dropped.
Court records indicate eleven separate confrontations between Paul and Mortensen are being examined as part of their mutual protective order requests. Michael McDonald, a court-appointed advocate for their son Ever, referenced another video from May of the previous year showing Paul forcibly pushing Mortensen and yelling for him to leave her home while he held their child.
“That makes me very nervous about her ability to control herself,” McDonald stated during the April 7 proceedings.
Paul’s legal team argued that Mortensen intentionally used their child as a “human shield” during confrontations. Meanwhile, Mortensen’s attorney Daniela Diaz contended that Paul manipulates their son “as a pawn to start fights.”
The tumultuous relationship between Paul and Mortensen became a central storyline on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” when it premiered in 2024, helping establish Paul as a reality television figure. The show’s first episode even incorporated police body camera footage from her 2023 arrest.
