Taylor Frankie Paul‘s exes Dakota Mortensen And Tate Paul are breaking their silence after the Department of Children and Family Services raised concerns about their upbringing.
“Tate Paul and Dakota Mortensen have remained publicly silent throughout the proceedings to prevent serious private family matters from becoming even more of a public spectacle than they already have because of others’ insatiable desire to share private family information online to promote views and publicity,” Dakota, 33, and Tate said in a joint statement from their lawyers Us weekly on Friday, July 17th. “However, they are deeply concerned that Taylor’s statement downplays the seriousness of the lawsuit filed by DCFS and its many underlying actions that led to it.”
“The petition filed this week by DCFS is not a routine transition to juvenile court or an opportunity for personal growth,” the duo added in their statement. “DCFS has asked the court to determine that the children were abused and has requested an expedited hearing regarding their immediate protection.”
Us weekly has reached out to Taylor’s lawyers for comment.
Dakota has son Ever, 2, with Taylor, 32, who he dated for several years before they split earlier this year. (Their tumultuous relationship made headlines in March when they were involved in a dispute over alleged domestic violence. The prosecutor later decided not to charge Taylor over the alleged incident.)
Tate was now married to The Secret Lives of Mormon Women Star from 2016 to 2022. The exes split after Taylor crossed a line in their casual arrangement, which she later confessed to in a TikTok video. The former spouses share two children, Indy, 8, and Ocean, 6.
In recent months, Taylor has been battling both Dakota and Tate for custody.
Amid the litigation, the Utah division of DCFS filed a petition asking a juvenile court to determine that her three children were “abused, neglected or dependent.”
TMZ reported on Wednesday, July 15, that DCFS has also asked the judge to order protective supervision services, appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the children, and issue any additional orders deemed to be in their best interests.
“Tate and Dakota are grateful that DCFS took these concerns seriously and is stepping in to protect the children,” Taylor’s former partners said in their statement. “They share a serious concern that the family court system, law enforcement, prosecutors and child protection agencies need meaningful coordination to understand the situation and act in a way that best protects children. Serious warning signs have remained largely unaddressed for far too long, even after the passage of the Om Law.”
Taylor Frankie Paul and her three children.
Courtesy of Taylor Frankie Paul/InstagramTate and Dakota’s statement said both fathers “remain focused on protecting the children, giving them the time and space they need to heal, supporting meaningful accountability, and using their families’ experiences to improve coordination between these systems in the future.”
“Despite the countless false allegations that Taylor and others have made about them online and on social media, Tate and Dakota have chosen not to participate in the often misunderstood social media and other online activities related to their cases,” the statement continued. “They have remained silent to protect their children, not because they have nothing to say. When the time is right, they will tell their story in their own words in the appropriate forum.”
A judge has made a far-reaching ruling on the ongoing legal battle between Taylor Frankie Paul and ex-Dakota Mortensen. “This was a very toxic relationship. The toxicity goes over the top in many ways,” a judge said during a protective order hearing on Thursday, April 30, regarding the couple’s custody agreement. “What I saw (…)
For her part, Taylor gave an insightful response to DCFS’s intervention on Thursday, July 16 Us A statement said: “It was recently decided that the ongoing custody disputes would be best suited to juvenile court, a common step for families dealing with highly contentious, complex custody matters.”
The reality star’s attorney added, “Taylor is undeterred by this transition; she welcomes the additional structure and control it provides and looks forward to continuing her progress toward normalizing custody and becoming the healthiest version of herself.”
The statement concluded: “Taylor remains committed to doing whatever is necessary to achieve this goal and will not be deterred. Taylor appreciates the professionalism of DCFS and its representatives.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Children’s help hotline at 1-800-422-4453. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential assistance.
