Taylor Frankie Paul‘s attempt to shut the public out of her legal war with Dakota Mortensen just got rejected in court.
On Monday, a judge denied Taylor’s request to seal Thursday’s upcoming protective order hearing and keep the media out … making it clear her case will be treated like any other case — despite the massive public attention surrounding the former couple.
During Monday’s status conference, Taylor’s attorney, Eric Swinyard, argued the hearing set for Thursday will be far more substantive than previous proceedings and will dive into serious allegations made by both sides.
He warned the case has already attracted “hundreds of thousands of viewers” online and argued continued public access could create long-term consequences for the exes’ 2-year-old son.
Swinyard told the court he worries their child could someday be confronted by classmates over deeply personal allegations tied to his parents’ legal fight.
TFP’s attorney also appeared to suggest Dakota may have played a role in the release of the 2023 incident video obtained by TMZ … noting it surfaced the same day Dakota filed for his protective order. Dakota’s team quickly denied that allegation.
Dakota’s lawyer, Daniela Diaz, opposed sealing the proceedings … arguing the dispute is already public and noting Taylor’s own legal team previously presented allegations and evidence in open court.
The child’s court-appointed representative said he understood concerns about how the case could impact the child later in life … but didn’t take a position on whether the courtroom should be closed.
Ultimately, the judge wasn’t buying Taylor’s argument … saying he has to treat this case like every other similar case, even if it’s become a major media spectacle.