Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services is seeking jurisdiction in a juvenile court on behalf of Taylor Frankie Paul’s three children. The issue here is whether the minors fit the definition of abused, neglected, or dependent children as per Utah laws.
According to TMZ, the Utah Attorney General’s Office filed the petition on behalf of DCFS on Wednesday. It calls for prioritizing scheduling to fast-track the juvenile court process, and the request includes protective supervision, a guardian ad litem, and an expedited hearing. The petition highlights prior interactions between DCFS and the family as well as ongoing custody issues involving Paul’s ex-husband, Tate Paul, and ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.
Lawyers of Paul say filing such custody cases in juvenile courts is fast-tracked, a norm in such difficult and complex circumstances, and the reality TV star would be more than happy to have additional guidance and supervision in her life. The petition asks for court intervention but does not make any claims of abuse or neglect.
The filing follows several months of legal struggles for Paul. In April, a Third District Court commissioner ruled that Paul cannot have unsupervised contact with her 2-year-old child because of concerns about her behavior during confrontations with the boy’s father, Mortensen. The commissioner decided to grant eight hours of supervised contact as a temporary measure until the next hearing.
According to ABC4, the program administrator at DCFS says the agency considers the overall safety of the home environment, including Paul’s family history, and that the removal of children is always the last measure in DCFS’ response. Safety planning and resource use are the preferred ways to start, and removal is considered only in certain situations.
Paul, who was recently pulled from “The Bachelorette,” also had the production of the fifth season of the TV show “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” suspended due to legal battles. No criminal case has been opened yet against Paul for domestic violence, as mentioned in court proceedings before.
It should be noted that this is another court battle for Paul and Mortensen. The previous protective-order cases have already gone through the district court for many months.
