In the latest legal escalation related to the reality TV scandal that has rocked the genre, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Taylor star frankie paul, who Bachelorette The season was recently canceled amid investigations into alleged domestic violence incidents, and a temporary restraining order was filed against her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, in Salt Lake City District Court on Tuesday.
The filing came just an hour before the former spouses were scheduled to appear in court over Mortensen’s current protective order against Paul. Both requests stem from an altercation that occurred in late February, in which each accused the other of domestic violence. Ball’s attorney confirmed to NBC News that her filing was “hot off the presses.”
While many details of Paul’s application to the court remain unknown today, the people Paul claims Mortensen has a “pattern of abusive behavior and coercive control,” she reported.
Jordan and Draper, Utah, currently have open investigations into the couple for allegations of domestic violence. Mortensen made allegations against Paul in the Jordan case, and NBC reported that police are reviewing multiple videos from the alleged 2024 incident. In Draper, an incident takes place in February involving both Paul and Mortensen, with allegations on both sides.
This dispute is the latest development in a saga that has already disrupted one of reality TV’s most exciting franchises. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Hulu announced the start of filming for the final season of the series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives He will be suspended amid reports of the altercation and a police investigation in Draper, Utah.
Subsequent reports led to greater scrutiny. Footage obtained by TMZ appears to show a separate February 2023 fight between Paul and Mortensen. In the video, which quickly spread online, Paul is seen throwing metal chairs at Mortensen while standing near one of her children. Paul later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in connection with that incident and remained on probation until August.
Despite the controversy, Paul’s profile continued to rise. As her notoriety increased through the Hulu reality series, she has been cast as a central character in the upcoming season of the Hulu series Bachelorettepositioning it as the latest transition from unscripted television fame to mainstream dating franchise fame. As the scandal around Paul exploded, ABC made the unprecedented decision to abandon airing its season of the hugely popular show.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Its fourth season was released on March 12.
More to come.
