Dakota Mortensen Sues Hulu Over Mormon Wives Portrayal

Dakota Mortensen filed a defamation lawsuit in Utah state court on November 13 against Hulu, Ludwig Productions and Jeff Jenkins Productions, which produce The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. He is seeking a jury trial and damages, including compensation for alleged harm to his reputation and livelihood; the complaint seeks more than $300,000 in damages, with additional claims for other losses.

Mortensen, who appeared in seasons three through five, says the show depicted him as a domestic abuser, a man who retaliated against Taylor Frankie Paul by contacting child protective services, and a serial adulterer. He alleges those portrayals were false and that producers used staged events and omitted footage that would have contradicted the storylines. The complaint says producers had been told the allegations were false before the episodes aired.

One dispute concerns filming for season five. Mortensen alleges cameras captured Paul striking him with a pizza box, but producers left that footage out of the episodes. He argues the omission helped present him as the aggressor. The suit says the resulting portrayal damaged his reputation and reduced his social media following and its commercial value.

Mortensen and Paul, who share a son, have also been involved in legal proceedings. Each sought a temporary protective order against the other, and a judge granted mutual protective orders in April. Paul was later granted supervised visitation. In April, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office said it would not file charges against her after two investigations.

The lawsuit follows exchanges between Mortensen’s lawyers and the production company over his allegations. Hulu and Mortensen’s attorney had not provided comment on the suit in the accounts available.