Taylor Frankie Paul‘s exes are breaking their silence.
Earlier this week, Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services filed a petition asking a juvenile court to find that the 32-year-old Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star’s children are “abused, neglected or dependent.”
Taylor shares children Indy, 8, and Ocean, 6, with ex-husband Tate Paul and son Ever, 2, with Dakota Mortensen.
After DCFS raised concerns about Taylor‘s parenting, Tate and Paul shared a joint statement reacting to the news.
“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,” Dakota and Tate said in a joint statement through counsel 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 petition filed by DCFS this week is not a routine transition to juvenile court or an opportunity for personal growth,” the statement continued. “DCFS has asked the Court to find that the children are abused and has requested an expedited hearing concerning their immediate protection.”
TMZ reported that DCFS 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 has taken these concerns seriously and is stepping in to protect the children,” the statement added. “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 statement noted that both fathers “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.”
“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.”
Taylor also reacted to DCFS’ filing, telling Us Weekly, “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.”
Her attorney added, “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.”
“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,” the statement concluded.
Over the past few months, Taylor has been in a custody battle with both Tate and Dakota.
Earlier this month, Taylor confirmed a rehab stint.
Posted To:Dakota Mortensen Tate Paul Taylor Frankie Paul