Dakota Mortensen and Tate Paul Respond to Child Welfare Petition

Dakota Mortensen and Tate Paul have broken their public silence regarding Utah's Division of Child and Family Services petition concerning the welfare of Taylor Frankie Paul's three children, issuing a joint statement Friday that characterizes the state agency's intervention as a matter of grave concern rather than routine legal procedure.

The two men, who share custody arrangements with the reality television personality, released their statement through legal counsel after DCFS filed a petition asking a juvenile court to determine whether Paul's children are "abused, neglected or dependent."

"Tate Paul and Dakota Mortensen have remained publicly silent throughout these proceedings to avoid having serious private family matters turned into more of a public spectacle than they already have due to the insatiable appetite of others to share private family information online to promote views and publicity," the fathers said in their statement to Us Weekly. "However, they are deeply concerned that Taylor's statement minimizes the gravity of the action filed by DCFS and her many underlying actions that prompted such."

The statement directly challenged Paul's characterization of the DCFS involvement as a standard procedural step in contentious custody disputes. "The petition filed by DCFS this week is not a routine transition to juvenile court or an opportunity for personal growth," Mortensen and Tate Paul stated. "DCFS has asked the Court to find that the children are abused and has requested an expedited hearing concerning their immediate protection."

Mortensen, 33, shares two-year-old son Ever with Paul, 32. The former couple dated intermittently over several years before separating earlier this year. Their relationship drew public attention in March following an alleged domestic violence incident, though prosecutors ultimately declined to file charges against Paul.

Tate Paul was married to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star from 2016 until 2022. Their divorce followed Paul's admission via TikTok that she had violated boundaries within their soft-swinging arrangement. The former spouses share two children: Indy, 8, and Ocean, 6.

Both fathers have been engaged in separate custody proceedings with Paul over recent months. In their Friday statement, they referenced systemic failures they believe allowed concerning situations to persist despite existing legal protections.

"Tate and Dakota are grateful that DCFS has taken these concerns seriously and is stepping in to protect the children," the statement read. "They share the serious concern that the family court system, law enforcement, prosecutors, and child-welfare agencies need meaningful coordination necessary to understand the situation and act in a manner most likely to protect the children. Serious warning signs went largely unaddressed for far too long, even after the passage of Om's Law."

The fathers indicated their focus remains on the children's welfare and future systemic improvements. "Tate and Dakota remain focused on protecting the children, giving them the time and space they need to heal, supporting meaningful accountability, and using what their families have experienced to help improve coordination between these systems in the future," the statement said.

Addressing what they described as false accusations circulated online by Paul and others, the fathers explained their decision to avoid public commentary until now. "Despite the myriad false accusations published online and on social media about them by Taylor and others, Tate and Dakota have chosen to not participate in the often misconstrued social media and other online activity surrounding 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."

Paul responded to the DCFS petition Thursday, July 16, through her own legal counsel. "It was recently decided that the ongoing custody actions would be best suited for juvenile court, a common step for families engaged in highly contentious, complex custody matters," Paul told Us Weekly in a statement.

Her attorney added that Paul views the court transition positively. "Taylor is not deterred by this transition; she welcomes the added structure and oversight it provides and looks forward to continuing her progress toward normalizing custody and becoming the healthiest version of herself," the statement said. "Taylor remains fully committed to doing whatever is necessary to reach that goal and will not be swayed from it. Taylor appreciates the professionalism of DCFS and its representatives."

Paul's attorneys have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the fathers' Friday statement.