Former Mormon Wives cast member sues Hulu and two producers
A former cast member of Hulu's The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has sued the streamer and two production companies, saying the show portrayed her falsely.
Dakota Mortensen filed the defamation suit on November 13 in Utah state court, according to Deadline. Defamation is a legal claim that someone published false statements that damaged a person's reputation. The defendants are Hulu, Ludwig Productions and Jeff Jenkins Productions. Mortensen appeared in seasons 3 to 5 of the reality series.
The 14-page complaint says the defendants knew the statements were false, or recklessly ignored the chance that they were. It argues that the show destroyed her reputation and her livelihood. Mortensen is asking for a jury trial and damages of more than $300,000 for reputational and economic harm. She is represented by Tycksen & Shattuck, a firm based in Draper, Utah.
The complaint alleges that seasons 3, 4 and 5 showed Mortensen as a domestic abuser. It also says the series portrayed her as a man who retaliated against the mother of his child by reporting her to child protective services. Other allegations include staged scenes presented as spontaneous, and deleted footage that, the suit says, contradicted the story the show told.
The filing also cites affairs that the complaint says never happened. It describes an incident in which Mortensen was hit with a pizza box by Paul, who is Taylor Frankie Paul, Mortensen's ex. The suit says the portrayal placed her in a false light, meaning publicly shown in a misleading way, as an abuser, a retaliator and an adulterer. It claims her social media following and commercial value fell sharply as a result.
Before filing, the complaint says, Mortensen's attorneys wrote to counsel for Jeff Jenkins Productions about the claims of falsehood. The suit alleges the producers dismissed the concerns.
The lawsuit lands in a storyline that has been public for months. In late March, Hulu pulled Paul's season 22 of The Bachelorette after a domestic assault investigation involving her and Mortensen became public. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office did not charge Paul with domestic violence. In September, Paul said she had no desire to return to Mormon Wives for a sixth season.
The allegations in the complaint are claims made by Mortensen and have not been tested in court. Hulu, Ludwig Productions and Jeff Jenkins Productions face the suit, and the case is at its earliest stage.
