Taylor Frankie Paul’s ex-husband seeks restraining order, asks for sole custody of kids
Taylor Frankie Paul’s ex-husband, Tate Paul, has reportedly petitioned a court in Utah for a temporary restraining order against his ex-wife, and is seeking sole custody of their shared children.
According to documents obtained by TMZ on Tuesday, the “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star’s former husband filed the request today within their 2022 divorce case.
Per the outlet, Tate — who shares kids Indy, 8, and Ocean, 6, with the reality star — submitted a declaration, along with several exhibits, along with the request. But as the filings are sealed, further details are unavailable.
Sources for the outlet also alleged on Tuesday that Tate is requesting sole custody of Indy and Ocean.
An insider close to the “Bachelorette” personality alleged to TMZ that the restraining order filing is “a direct result” of ex-Dakota Mortensen “telling Tate lies about her.”
“She feels Dakota will do anything to hurt her … including using the children, but she is a survivor,” per the outlet.
Also on Tuesday, a source told People that Taylor has “checked into a facility upon the recommendation of her doctor,” and that it was a “voluntary” stay.
They added that the reality star is “committed to getting better.”
A separate source told the outlet that “The people around Taylor want her to get help,” and that members of her inner circle “want to see her get better.” They added, “Everyone is just trying to protect the kids.”
A rep for Taylor did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Tuesday evening. Reps for Tate and Mortensen were not available to Page Six for comment.
Page Six previously reported on Tuesday that Mortensen — with whom Taylor shares son Ever, 2 — recently called authorities from the Bluffdale, Utah Police Department over his own protective order against the TV personality.
The department confirmed to Us Weekly on Monday that a call from Mortensen seeking clarity on the protective order had taken place, saying that they’d also spoken to Taylor before before passing the information to the District Attorney’s office to make a determination on if a violation had taken place.
According to TMZ, the issue was over who is allowed be involved in setting up exchanges for their toddler — and whether or not the protective order had been violated.
There is currently no case open on the issue, and a source told Page Six on Tuesday that “Taylor and Dakota have not seen or spoken to each other since the protective orders were issued.”
Taylor, 32, previously slammed her ex in a since-deleted Instagram Story, writing, “Cops called on me again THIS WEEK … What are the odds?”
She added, according to TMZ, “And it’s not people … it’s ONE person, the same person. It’s obsessive.”
Paul and Mortensen — who rose to fame on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and began dating in 2022 — have been in a volatile custody war over Ever following a spate of alleged domestic violence encounters between them.
Multiple police investigations have been launched surrounding Taylor and Mortensen, with the drama between the exes coming to a head when a March release of a video of Taylor showed her engaged in what appeared to be a violent altercation with Mortensen — with daughter Indy nearby.
Amid the drama, ABC cancelled Taylor’s as-yet unreleased season of “The Bachelorette,” which had already finished filming and was set for a March 22 debut.
Mortensen was subsequently granted sole custody of Ever. Taylor was granted supervised visitation with her youngest child in April.
On April 30, the former couple was ordered to stay 100 feet away from each other, per dual protective orders, with a judge telling them that they will have to “figure out how to function as coparents.”
Prior to her romance with Mortensen, Taylor was married to Tate from 2016 to 2022.
Tate has since moved on, having welcomed a child with his current wife, esthetician Bailey Roberts Paul.
