Taylor Frankie Paul hugged Dakota Mortensen’s mother in court Thursday after the ex-lovers’ hearing.
The MomTok star shared a touching hug with Cheyenne Cranford Mortensen after Utah Chief Judge Russell Minas granted a mutual protection order.
Paul, 31, and Cheyenne’s son, 33, were both present at the sentencing in Salt Lake City’s Third District Court, marking the first time they have been seen together since the courtroom drama began in February.
Minas ordered the cast of “Secrets of Mormon Wives” to stay 100 feet away from each other for three years.
He called their relationship, which began in 2022, “toxic” and “dysfunctional” and urged them to “find a way to function as co-parents” for their two-year-old son Ever.
The judge maintained the current custody order for the time being, believing that Paul’s “acts” were “more reactive” and Dakota’s “more thoughtful” and that “the violence occurred in both directions.”
As it stands, Dakota has physical custody of the infant and Paul has supervised visitation with the infant.
Minas said she is concerned that if things continue as they are, “Dakota may actually try to use (the visitation) as a means to manipulate and control Paul.”
Paul’s representatives said the ruling was an “important step” for the reality star, whose career has been in turmoil since an alleged domestic violence incident with Dakota in February.
Season 5 of “SLOMW” stopped filming as both Paul and Dakota were investigated, and while no new charges were ultimately brought against Paul, her “Bachelorette” season was canceled days before it aired.
Paul’s lawyer argued in court Thursday that Dakota “literally wants to destroy” her ex-girlfriend.
Meanwhile, Dakota’s lawyer claimed that the Dakota star is “a victim of domestic violence and fears the violence that will happen to her if she comes forward sooner.”
In addition to Ever, Taylor is also the mother of eight-year-old daughter Indi and five-year-old son Ocean with ex-husband Tate Paul, whom she divorced in 2022.
Taylor was arrested the following year for a domestic violence incident with Dakota (of which footage was recently leaked) and took a plea deal.
She and Dakota have broken up and gotten back together many times since then, and their ups and downs are chronicled in SLOMW.
According to a new report, Taylor is currently “trying to make things work” with Doug Mason, the rumored winner of her season of The Bachelorette.
