Jessi Draper Supports Taylor Frankie Paul in New Court Filing Ahead of Hearing with Her Ex Dakota Mortensen

NEED TO KNOW

• Jessi Draper filed a declaration in support of her Secret Lives of Mormon Wives costar Taylor Frankie Paul, who is set to appear in Utah court with her ex Dakota Mortensen on April 30
• Mortensen and Paul are expected to attend a hearing about their competing protective order filings and determine a custody arrangement for their 2-year-old son Ever
• During an April 7 hearing, a judge granted Mortensen custody of Ever with up to eight hours per week of visitation for Paul supervised by a paid supervisor or someone vetted by the guardian ad litem, in effect, until the April 30 hearing

Jessi Draper is supporting her Secret Lives of Mormon Wives costar Taylor Frankie Paul in her current legal battle with her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.

The JZ Styles owner filed an affidavit on Wednesday, April 29, in Paul and Mortensen’s case over their competing protective order requests, court documents obtained by PEOPLE reveal.

Draper’s declaration was submitted in support of Paul, 31, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PEOPLE. Her younger sister, Aspen May, also filed an affidavit in support.

Paul filed an affidavit of her own, along with new exhibits titled “Kicking Admission” and “Abusive Texts.”

Mortensen, 33, submitted supplemental exhibits and a response to Paul’s request for a protective order against him.

Paul and Mortensen are set to appear in Utah court on Thursday, April 30 for a hearing about their competing protective order filings and to determine a custody arrangement for their 2-year-old son Ever. The hearing will mark the first time the pair have publicly appeared together since news broke of multiple domestic violence investigations involving them earlier this year.

Over the past two months, Paul has accused Mortensen in court of stalking and, on one occasion, slamming her head into the dashboard of his truck. Mortensen has submitted photographs of scratches and other bodily injuries he allegedly received during altercations with Paul.

In February, both the Draper City Police Department and West Jordan Police Department opened domestic violence cases involving Paul and Mortensen, stemming from a series of allegations each made that the other acted violently during a series of altercations that month. The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office and the Draper City Prosecutor both declined to file charges against Paul in April, citing insufficient evidence to prove allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. 

While the police investigation was ongoing, Mortensen filed for a protective order against Paul. She filed for a protective order of her own against Mortensen several weeks later.

During an April 7 hearing, a judge granted Mortensen custody of Ever with up to eight hours per week of visitation for Paul supervised by a paid supervisor or someone vetted by the guardian ad litem, in effect until the April 30 hearing.

Paul was previously arrested in 2023 for an alleged domestic violence incident with Mortensen, and accused of throwing metal chairs at him while her then-5-year-old daughter, Indy, was in the room. Paul pleaded guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault and the other charges were dropped.

Though the arrest took place over three years ago, the case faced new scrutiny in March when TMZ published a video of the altercation — showing Paul yelling, putting Mortensen in a headlock and throwing chairs at him while a child could be heard crying — in March. 

Hours after the video’s release, ABC called off Paul’s already-filmed season of The Bachelorette days before its slated premiere. (Executive Vice President of Unscripted for Walt Disney TV Rob Mills, recently said, however, that the network was “tak[ing] everything a day at a time” when asked about their plans for the unaired season.)

Amid Paul and Mortensen’s ongoing legal battle, the fifth season of Mormon Wives temporarily halted production in March after several cast members refused to work with Paul, sources told us at the time. 

But in April, PEOPLE confirmed that cameras were rolling again for the Hulu reality series, though notably without Paul or Mortensen’s involvement. An exclusive source later told us that Paul “has the option to return” and is “receiving strong support from the cast and producers but is focusing on her kids and mental health issues and recovery from an abusive relationship.”

Draper’s personal life has also made headlines recently after her ex-husband Jordan Ngatikaura filed for divorce and was granted a restraining order against her last month. The exes share son, Jagger, 6, and daughter, Jovi, 3. Ngatikaura is also a father to his daughter, Peyton.