Dakota Mortensen is dating his “Mormon Wives” friend Shinia Powell, according to a new report, amid his ongoing custody battle with ex Taylor Frankie Paul.
“Shinya has been a steady source of support for Dakota through some incredibly difficult times, especially when he didn’t have any immediate family nearby,” a source told People on Wednesday.
“Their close friendship has naturally grown into something more, and they are enjoying time together while thinking carefully about what it means for them and their children.”
The source added that while the up-and-coming new couple understands that their relationship may attract media attention, they “respectfully ask people to be mindful of their privacy and emotions as they work as a team to move forward in a healthy way in an already tumultuous environment.”
Powell, who appeared on Season 4 of the Hulu reality series as a friend of cast member Miranda Hope, is the mother of two children, a 6-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son.
Mortensen has one child, 2-year-old son Ever, with Paul. The ex-lovers are currently fighting in court over custody of their son.
Representatives for Powell, Mortensen and Paul did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
In an update on the couple’s sordid legal history, People reported that the Utah Department of Children and Family Services filed a petition on July 13 asking a juvenile court to find Taylor, Mortensen, and her three children with ex-husband Tate Paul – Ever, daughter Indy, and son Ocean – to be “abused, neglected, or dependent.”
The ministry asked the court to order protective supervision of the children and appoint a guardian to represent them.
Mortensen and Tate issued a joint statement to the outlet at the time, saying they were “both deeply concerned that Taylor’s statements diminish the seriousness of the lawsuit filed by DCFS and many of her underlying actions that gave rise to it.”
“Tate and Dakota remain focused on protecting children, giving them the time and space they need to heal, supporting meaningful accountability, and leveraging what their families have experienced to improve collaboration between these systems in the future,” the statement continued.
“Despite the countless false accusations published online and on social media by Taylor and others, Tate and Dakota have chosen not to participate in social media and other online activity that is often misunderstood surrounding their case. They have remained silent to protect their children, but not because they have nothing to say. When the time comes, they will tell their story in the appropriate forum and in their own words.”
An attorney for the two fathers added, “They share serious concerns that meaningful coordination is needed between the family court system, law enforcement, prosecutors, and child welfare agencies to understand the situation and act in the manner most likely to protect the children.”
A source close to Taylor responded, “Juvenile court is closed to the public to protect children’s privacy, and those who leak this information are doing exactly the opposite.”
“This speaks to the motive here, that someone is clearly acting in their own interests and not the interests of the children. This report also omits DCFS’ documented concerns about the other party, which are on record with district courts and law enforcement. Juvenile court will fully review all of them.”
Taylor and Dakota have been embroiled in a tense legal battle for months, after Mortensen publicly accused his ex-girlfriend of multiple physical assaults.
In March, Mortensen filed for a nondisclosure order against Taylor in court, and Taylor filed for a restraining order against Mortensen the following month.
They were both granted mutual protection orders against each other.
