Taylor Frankie Paul has claimed her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, got a lip tattoo of her initials when ABC was ramping up promotion of her since-canceled The Bachelorette season.
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In the filing obtained by the magazine, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star alleged that Dakota became "increasingly possessive" as her originally-scheduled March 22 premiere of The Bachelorette neared.
Taylor wrote in her filing that she "was shown" an image of Dakota's lips on February 17 that had her initials tattooed inside of them.
Dakota, 33, reportedly "confirmed" the tattoo during a subsequent text exchange with the MomTok creator.
Taylor also claimed that Dakota sent her texts asking her to give him another chance and saying, "I want you forever," and "I still love and want you," on February 16 and 17.
"Considering his increasingly possessive and erratic behavior, and considering the fact that we were not in a relationship, this was extremely alarming," Taylor wrote in the April 7 filing.
"My initials are now permanently tattooed on the body of a man who has been abusive toward and possessive of me."
A source told People that Dakota got inked on Valentine's Day in February, only hours after Taylor posted promotional material for The Bachelorette's 22nd season, which already filmed late last year.
The source added that Dakota "showed the tattoo to cast members [of Mormon Wives] and on camera while filming the show" the next day.
In addition to providing screenshots of bruising Dakota allegedly caused during a February 23 altercation, Taylor's filing included photos of Dakota's "TFP" lip tattoo -- but she was unable to provide evidence of the date on which he received the tattoo.
According to Us Weekly, Taylor also claimed that Dakota sent her a "request for sex" following the February domestic assault incident that is currently under investigation.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWDakota previously filed for a protective order against Taylor on March 19, which was the same day ABC announced its decision to cancel her season of The Bachelorette.
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Dakota was granted the restraining order as well as temporary custody of their son, Ever True, 2, at the time.
In Taylor's April 7 filing, she claimed Dakota's restraining order from last month was an "effort to sabotage my career."
During a hearing that occurred on the same day as Taylor's filing, Dakota was granted custody of Ever with up to eight hours per week of supervised visitation for Taylor until their next April 30 hearing.
Taylor was previously arrested in 2023 after a fight with Dakota on charges of aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse with injury, and criminal mischief.
Taylor pleaded guilty in August 2023 to aggravated assault in exchange for the dismissal of her other four charges.
Taylor ultimately reached a plea deal that -- assuming its terms and conditions were followed -- would reduce her aggravated assault charge to a misdemeanor in August 2026, according to Us.
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When Taylor was attacking Dakota in the video footage, her daughter Indy, now 8, was present and could be heard crying and screaming "mommy" in the background. Dakota could also be heard claiming that one of the stools had struck Indy during the altercation.
A spokesperson for Taylor -- who shares Indy and also son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul -- claimed that Taylor was "very grateful for ABC's support" as she prioritized her family's "safety and security" in a March 19 statement.
"After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm," the spokesperson said on Taylor's behalf.
When the video leaked, Taylor was already under scrutiny for the February domestic assault allegations. A source told People at the time that allegations had been made "in both directions."
Taylor, for instance, claimed in her April 7 filing that Dakota "assaulted" her by "slamming her head against the dashboard of his truck and striking her knee and elbow" after driving her away from her Utah home against her will on February 23.
The Draper City Police Department reportedly opened an investigation on February 23 after Dakota's friend claimed he had "been the victim of a domestic violence assault by an ex-girlfriend" at her residence.
Dakota later told police that there were "two incidents of physical assault involving 'grabbing, scratching, shoving, and striking,'" per the police report obtained by People.
Dakota also provided photos of "neck scratches" Taylor had allegedly inflicted.
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In addition, the West Jordan Police Department confirmed to People in March that Dakota had submitted a video -- believed to have been taped from a domestic dispute in mid-2024 -- when speaking to police in late February.
Authorities called the 2024 incident a separate "active domestic violence case" involving Taylor and Dakota.
Amid Taylor's legal troubles, Hulu paused production on Season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
