A reality television personality embroiled in a high-profile domestic dispute will not face criminal charges stemming from recent allegations, prosecutors in Utah announced this week.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office determined that Taylor Frankie Paul, known for her role on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, will not be charged over incidents involving her former partner Dakota Mortensen. The decision came after investigations by police in suburban Salt Lake City communities examined multiple allegations from 2024 and earlier this year.
Insufficient Evidence and Statute of Limitations
"Several incidents that were submitted do not rise to the level of criminal offences. The remaining incidents lack sufficient evidence to support filing criminal charges," wrote Breanne Miller, a lawyer in the district attorney's Family Protection Unit, in a memo outlining the prosecutorial decision.
Miller noted that some reported incidents fell outside the legal timeframe for prosecution, with certain allegations dating back more than three years.
The couple shares a two-year-old son and has filed competing petitions for protective orders against one another. A court hearing on the matter is scheduled for April 30.
Broader Legal Complications
While the current charges were declined, Paul remains on probation stemming from a 2023 assault conviction against Mortensen. She pleaded guilty to an assault charge that could be reduced from felony to misdemeanor status if she avoids further legal trouble through August, when her three-year probationary period concludes.
That earlier incident, which involved video evidence that circulated publicly, prompted ABC to make an unprecedented decision: shelving an already-filmed season of The Bachelorette featuring Paul after the footage leaked online.
The court-appointed attorney for their son has expressed concern about Paul's ability to manage her behaviour in heated situations, pointing to multiple recorded incidents between the former partners.
Paul's legal team has maintained that her ex-partner was the aggressor in recent conflicts, citing photographic evidence of injuries and arguing that Mortensen deliberately escalated confrontations.
This story is based on reporting from CBC World.