Taylor Frankie Paul Addresses Hugging Dakota Mortensen's Mom in Court
Taylor Frankie Paul is explaining why she was seen in an embrace with Dakota Mortensen's mom during the former couple's custody and protective order hearing.
After a fan Instagram account shared video footage of Taylor hugging Cheyenne Cranford Mortensen inside Salt Lake City's Third District Courthouse on Thursday, April 30, Taylor provided context via the comments section.
"That was my goodbye to a family my older kids and I loved deeply❤️🩹" Taylor, 31, explained. (Taylor and Dakota share 2-year-old son Ever. Taylor shares daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with her ex-husband Tate Paul.)
During the court hearing, a judge issued Taylor and Dakota, 33, protective orders against each other.
Utah Commissioner Russell Minas ordered Taylor and Dakota to stay 100 feet away from each other for a period of three years.
Minas described their relationship as "dysfunctional" as he handed down the orders.
"This has been a very toxic relationship. It's beyond the pale in a lot of ways, the toxicity," Minas said on Thursday. "What I've seen from the evidence even post [the] last hearing, there seems to be a continuing attraction that they have for each other. … You guys have to figure out a lot here. You have to figure out how to function as coparents."
"I'm hoping that you're not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict," the judge added. "You've got to put your child first and shield the child from this conflict. I'm going to leave the current order in place. I need to think a little bit more about this lifting of supervision. I have mixed feelings about it."
Dakota was granted temporary custody of Ever in March amid allegations of domestic violence between him and Taylor. Taylor is currently allowed up to eight hours of supervised visitation with the toddler. There were no changes made to the custody arrangement on Thursday.
Dakota filed for a temporary protective order against Taylor in March amid two police investigations into domestic violence allegations involving the exes. Taylor was granted her own temporary protective order against Dakota in April.
Taylor's attorney, Eric M. Swinyard, addressed the court hearing via a statement shared with Us Weekly on Thursday.
"Today's hearing was a significant step forward as the Court entered protective orders requiring that Taylor's ex-partner stays far away from her," he told Us.
"Taylor was incredibly candid with the Court that she is not perfect and owned her faults, which is in direct contrast to how the other party presented their argument, despite evidence and input from law enforcement that showed otherwise," Swinyard continued. "Taylor feels solidarity with the many survivors who have endured similar hardships behind closed doors and shared only part of their stories, and she remains grateful for the outpouring of support she continues to receive. She looks forward to continuing to cooperate with the Court to make progress in the custody case."
Copyright 2026 Us Weekly. All rights reserved
This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 8:24 PM.