Taylor Frankie Paul is no longer on probation following her 2023 arrest plea after an alleged altercation with now-ex Dakota Mortensen.
During a Friday, August 7, court hearing, a judge ruled that the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, 32, had successfully completed her three-year probation sentence, according to court documents obtained by Us. The judge also amended Paul’s aggravated assault felony charge to a Class A misdemeanor. Us has reached out to Paul’s rep for comment.
Paul was arrested in 2023 following an alleged fight with Mortensen, 33. She pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal to dismiss other charges pertaining to child abuse. Footage from the incident was leaked in March, in which Paul was seen throwing chairs at Mortensen in front of her daughter, Indy. (Taylor shares Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 6, with ex-husband Tate Paul, as well as son Ever, 2, with Mortensen.)
In light of the video’s release, Taylor temporarily lost custody of Ever. Taylor and Mortensen previously attended an April 30 court hearing in Utah, initially intended to establish a custody arrangement for Ever. Instead, a judge declined to rule on custody at the time amid the domestic violence allegations from and aimed at both parties. In lieu of an official ruling, the judge issued mutual protective orders, requiring the exes to stay 100 feet away from each other at all times.
“This has been a very toxic relationship. It’s beyond the pale in a lot of ways, the toxicity,” the judge said during the hearing. “What I’ve seen from the evidence even post [the] last hearing, there seems to be a continuing attraction that they have for each other. … You guys have to figure out a lot here. You have to figure out how to function as coparents.”
The judge then explained his hesitancy to definitively rule on custody of Ever at the time.
“I’m hoping that you’re not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict. You’ve got to put your child first and shield the child from this conflict,” the judge continued. “I’m going to leave the current order in place. I need to think a little bit more about this lifting of supervision. I have mixed feelings about it.”
The judge reminded Taylor and Dakota that they are “linked together for the remainder of [their] lives” because they share a child.
As for Taylor’s supervised visitation with Ever — put in place after she temporarily lost custody due to new domestic violence allegations made by Dakota — the judge added, “If I’m continuing to supervise Taylor’s parent time, I’m wary that Dakota may actually try to use that as a way to manipulate and control her.”
After the hearing, Taylor’s attorney, Eric M. Swinyard, addressed the judge’s ruling.
“Today’s hearing was a significant step forward as the court entered protective orders requiring that Taylor’s ex-partner stays far away from her,” Swinyard said in a statement to Us. “Taylor was incredibly candid with the court that she is not perfect and owned her faults, which is in direct contrast to how the other party presented their argument, despite evidence and input from law enforcement that showed otherwise.”
Swinyard continued, “Taylor feels solidarity with the many survivors who have endured similar hardships behind closed doors and shared only part of their stories, and she remains grateful for the outpouring of support she continues to receive. She looks forward to continuing to cooperate with the court to make progress in the custody case.”
Amid the ongoing custody battle, Salt Lake City prosecutors investigated and ultimately declined to file charges against Taylor for an alleged February domestic dispute with Dakota. After the news broke in April, Taylor wrote via her Instagram Story, “Cried when I got the call 🙏 THANK YOU to those that have stood with me.”
Days later, Dakota reacted to the development in his own Instagram post.
“Over the past several weeks, I’ve taken a step back and had time away from the chaos. That space has been a breath of fresh air and has given me clarity,” he wrote in April. “My focus now is where it should have been all along — on my son and creating a stable, healthy environment for him moving forward.”
He added, “I regret not stepping away from the difficult cycle sooner. I’m not perfect, and I take accountability for my part. I’m sincerely sorry to those I’ve hurt. At the same time, I don’t agree with how this situation has been portrayed publicly. It does not reflect the full context of what occurred or the impact it has had on me and my son.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
