Taylor Frankie Paul Accuses Dakota Mortensen of Trying to ‘Sabotage’ Her Career With Protective Order
Less than one month after Dakota Mortensen filed a protective order against Taylor Frankie Paul, she filed a protective order of her own. In it, she described Mortensen as the primary aggressor in their relationship and said his actions have led her to fear for her safety. She also accused Mortensen of attempting to sabotage her career when he filed his protective order.
Dakota Mortensen filed a protective order against Taylor Frankie Paul
On March 19, Mortensen filed for a protective order against Paul. Just hours before the filing, footage leaked of Paul attacking Mortensen in a 2023 incident. On March 19, ABC also canceled Paul’s season of The Bachelorette shortly before it aired.
“His number one priority here is protecting [their 2-year-old son], Ever,” a source told Entertainment Weekly. “He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor. It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to co-parent well.”
In February, both Paul and Mortensen made claims of domestic violence against each other.
Taylor Frankie Paul said Dakota Mortensen is trying to damage her career
On April 7, Paul filed a protective order against Mortensen. In it, she claimed that he filed his in order to damage her career.
“For the most part, our co-parenting dynamic has functioned adequately,” she said in the filing (via People). “Recently, however, in an effort to sabotage my career, Dakota filed a protective order against me on March 19, 2026. I will respond to his allegations in a separate declaration before the hearing on April 30, 2026, before Commissioner Minas.”
Paul denied the claims that Mortensen has made about her and described him as the primary aggressor in their relationship. She detailed four separate incidents in which she claimed Mortensen behaved violently towards her. She claimed that in February, he slammed her head into his truck’s dashboard.
“Suffice it to say, I completely reject Dakota’s characterizations of my conduct and his attempts to paint me as an abusive mother and co-parent,” the filing continued. “The evidence will show the Court that Dakota has been the primary aggressor and has been violent and abusive toward me.”
Paul and Mortensen each seek custody of their son, Ever. A judge recently ruled that Ever would remain in Mortensen’s custody with eight hours of supervised visitation a week for Paul until a hearing on April 30.
A commissioner said he had concerns about both of them
During an April 7 hearing, Commissioner Russell Minas, who is overseeing the case, granted Paul supervised visitation of Ever. He still noted that he has “concerns about volatility” after reviewing footage submitted by Mortensen. He has concerns about Mortensen as well.
“I have concerns going both ways, quite frankly,” Minas said, per The New York Times. “I do have some concerns, on the one hand, that perhaps there has been some, as I indicated, maybe pushing of buttons to get a reaction.”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
