Taylor Frankie Paul is sharing her gratitude after prosecutors decided she will not face charges over recent altercations with her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that an investigation into domestic violence claims from Mortensen — the father of Paul’s two-year-old son — stemming from incidents in 2024 and February 2026 determined there is not enough evidence to file criminal charges against Paul.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, 31, shared her reaction to the news on Instagram, writing over a picture of a bouquet of flowers: “Cried when I got the call. THANK YOU to those who have stood with me.”
In a statement, the DA’s office said that some of the “misdemeanor offenses” that were investigated happened more than three years ago, which falls outside the legal time frame of review.
“The remaining incidents lack sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges where the state must be able to prove such allegations beyond a reasonable date,” the office said. “Such incidents lack specificity as to when and what actually occurred or corroboration.”
Any new charges against Paul, who was set to star in the recently abandoned season of The Bachelorette, would have violated her probation from a separate 2023 dispute with Mortensen, 32, which is in place until August.
Paul and Mortensen have filed protective orders against one another that will be heard in a court hearing April 30. Eleven fights between the pair are under examination in the requests.
At an April 7 hearing, which Mortensen and Paul both attended virtually with their cameras turned off, a judge ordered that Paul could only have supervised visits with her son after Mortensen’s protective order against her was temporarily granted.
Eric Swinyard, Paul’s lawyer, argued at the hearing that Mortensen had initiated the former couple’s most recent fight in February, which Swinyard referred to as “the truck tussle.”
While Mortensen claimed in his protective order filing that Paul threw a drink at him while they argued in his truck, Swinyard alleged that Mortensen slammed Paul’s head into the dashboard and punched her in the leg.
The incident — in addition to leaked footage from the 2023 incident between Paul and Mortensen — caused season five of SLOMW, Hulu’s hit reality show that made Paul famous, to pause production last month amid the police investigation.
Paul’s season of The Bachelorette was then canceled days before it was set to premiere because of the footage, and Mortensen has also reportedly been edited out of the forthcoming season of Vanderpump Villa amid the domestic violence investigation.
The violent video from the 2023 incident shows the mom-of-three appearing to punch, kick and throw metal stools at Mortensen while her daughter watched and cried.
Paul pleaded guilty to an assault charge, which will be reduced to a misdemeanor if she does not violate her probation that ends in August.
The former couple’s fiery relationship has been heavily featured on SLOMW since its 2024 debut. The series premiere showed police body camera footage of her 2023 arrest.
The national domestic abuse helpline offers support for women on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit the Refuge website. There is a dedicated men's advice line on 0808 8010 327. Those in the US can call the domestic violence hotline on 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org
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