Dakota Mortensen‘s attorney slammed Taylor Frankie Paul‘s claims against his client during a joint court appearance amid their ongoing custody battle.
“Today’s hearing was used by the respondent to assassinate Dakota’s character as a dad, whose only concern is for the welfare of his son, Ever,” Joel Kittrell told Us Weekly in a statement. “We look forward to the 30th to tell the true story.”
Paul, 31, and Mortensen, 33, appeared virtually in court on Tuesday, April 7, to discuss visitation rights after a judge previously granted Mortensen temporary custody of Ever, 2. Paul was ultimately granted supervised time with their son for eight hours per week until a protective hearing on April 30, at which time her parenting restrictions will be reevaluated.
The judge also ruled that the supervised visits would be facilitated by a neutral third party. Other options were discussed, as long as both parties can agree on the person or people present during Taylor’s visits with Ever and the person or people agree to being subjected to the jurisdiction of the court.
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Us Weekly confirmed on Tuesday that Paul filed a temporary protection order against Mortensen. (Mortensen was granted a temporary protective order against Taylor in March when he was given temporary custody of Ever.)
In her filing, Paul alleged that Mortensen exhibited “increasingly possessive” behavior in the lead-up to her season of The Bachelorette airing. (The season was ultimately canceled by ABC on March 19, days before its scheduled premiere.)
Some of Paul’s accusations included an allegation that her ex tattooed “TFP” inside his mouth on Valentine’s Day in February.
“Considering his increasingly possessive and erratic behavior, and considering the fact that we were not in a relationship, this was extremely alarming,” she wrote in Tuesday’s filing, according to People. “My initials are now permanently tattooed on the body of a man who has been abusive toward and possessive of me.”
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The former couple’s volatile ups and downs were previously captured on Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which is currently on pause following an alleged February domestic dispute between Paul and Mortensen.
Paul is currently on probation for her 2023 arrest in relation to a separate physical incident with Mortensen. She pleaded guilty to aggravated assault as part of a plea deal to dismiss additional charges of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury and criminal mischief. (Paul shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul.)
Leaked footage from the 2023 altercation showed Paul throwing multiple chairs at Mortensen before one appeared to strike her daughter. In the aftermath, ABC announced that Paul’s upcoming season of The Bachelorette was canceled.
“Taylor is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security,” a rep for Paul told Us in a statement. “Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation, and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support and preparing to own and share her story.”
