Taylor Frankie Paul, a reality TV star from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and the father of her 2-year-old son were ordered Thursday to stay 100 feet away from each other for the next three years as a Utah court commissioner continues to assess custody plans for the child, the AP reports. Paul has been unable to spend unsupervised time with her son since a hearing April 7, when Third District Court Commissioner Russell Minas said Paul had a history of volatile behavior directed at her former partner, Dakota Mortensen, while kids were present.
Minas on Thursday described the pair's dynamic as "very toxic" before granting Paul and Mortensen's dueling requests for protective orders against each other. He found that "there's been violence that occurred both ways between these parties" and urged them to figure out how to function as co-parents to their son, Ever. "I'm hoping that you're not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict," Minas said. "You've got to put your child first and shield the child from this conflict." Paul, Mortensen and their families were present in court, but no other cast members from the Hulu reality show attended.
A protective order in Utah can restrict or eliminate a parent's ability to see their child. When both parents have protective orders against each other, the court relies heavily on the recommendations of an attorney appointed to investigate the child's best interests. Paul and Mortensen's son had a court-appointed attorney present at Thursday's hearing to help the commissioner determine the safest arrangement for the boy. Minas said he would make custody recommendations by May 11. Mortensen has custody in the meantime. (Amid the chaos, Paul's season of The Bachelorette was yanked days before it was set to air.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
