It was another busy day in court for Taylor Frankie Paul’s lawyers. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star had a court hearing with Dakota Mortensen over their ongoing custody dispute. Jessi Draper just got into the middle of it with a bombshell accusation.
Jessi claimed that Dakota told her a plan to leak videos of their 2023 domestic violence incident, all in an attempt to humiliate Taylor. Of course, that video wound up tanking her season of The Bachelorette. But did this new piece of information have any effect on their custody arrangement? Not really.
Jessi claims Dakota wanted to “embarrass” Taylor
Taylor and Dakota had a hearing on April 30, where Commissioner Russel Minas weighed in on the competing protective orders and ongoing custody dispute. During the hearing, Taylor’s lawyer referred to an affidavit that Jessi submitted, where she allegedly detailed the days leading up to the domestic violence video. People reviewed the court documents.
According to the lawyer, Jessi said that she came home one night and heard a “very animated” Dakota venting to his roommate and her then-husband, Jordan Ngatikaura. She said Dakota felt frustrated about how the cops were handling their situation. That’s when he allegedly revealed his plan to leak the video of the 2023 incident, where Taylor threw barstools and wound up in handcuffs.
“He told [Jessi] that he was going to take matters into his own hands and embarrass Taylor,” Taylor’s lawyer claimed.
The attorney continued, “He specifically told Ms. Draper that he planned on leaking embarrassing videos of Taylor to the press, starting with the barstool video. He specifically named TMZ as the outlet, and a few days later, that exact video was released by TMZ.”
Dakota’s attorney denied that this ever happened. However, Taylor’s representation continued to argue that Dakota’s behavior in the courtroom didn’t align with his “true nature.”
The lawyer said, “He’s not just trying to seek a protective order; he wants to literally destroy her. He wants to subject her and her family to a new round of torment.”
Ultimately, the commissioner was not swayed by Jessi’s accusation. He noted that Dakota’s video evidence seemed “overwhelming,” and he remained unsure about a long-term custody agreement. For now, the previous ruling remains in place. Dakota has primary physical custody. Taylor will have supervised visits, but the exes must stay at least 100 feet apart for the next three years.
“I’m hoping you’re not just people who thrive on drama and conflict,” the commissioner told the exes. “You have to put your child first.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON JESSI’S ACCUSATIONS AGAINST DAKOTA? ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT THE CUSTODY AGREEMENT REMAINS IN PLACE?
