Dakota Mortensen has spoken out after the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office decided not to file additional domestic violence charges against his ex, Taylor Frankie Paul. The decision also applied to Mortensen, with the DA stating there was insufficient evidence to proceed against either party.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives stars have been involved in a public feud following a February altercation, which led to Mortensen filing a domestic violence complaint and Paul counter-claiming assault. The controversies, including leaked footage from a 2023 incident, resulted in Paul losing her headlining season of The Bachelorette and Mortensen being edited out of Vanderpump Villa. Filming for season five of SLOMW has also been paused.
In a Sunday Instagram post, Mortensen said he has “taken a step back and had time away from the chaos.” He added, “My focus now is where it should have been all along — on my son and creating a stable, healthy environment for him moving forward.” Mortensen expressed regret for not stepping away from a “difficult cycle” sooner and took accountability for his role, offering an apology to those he has hurt.
Mortensen also said he does “not agree with how this situation has been portrayed publicly,” arguing it does not reflect the full context or the impact on him and his son. He has chosen to “step away from the spotlight” to focus on family, growth, and healing. The former couple’s protective orders against each other will be heard in court on 30 April, along with a reexamination of their custody arrangement.
The DA’s office noted that some alleged misdemeanours occurred over three years ago, beyond the legal time frame for review. Any new charges against Paul would have violated her probation from a separate 2023 dispute, which remains in place until August. At a recent hearing, a judge granted Mortensen a temporary protective order, allowing Paul only supervised visits with their son.
