“Presented Mortensen to millions of viewers as a domestic abuser, as a man who retaliated against the mother of his child by reporting her to Child Protective Services, and as a serial adulterer,” Dakota Mortensen alleged in a new defamation lawsuit.
The reality TV star filed a lawsuit against Hulu and production companies Jeff Jenkins Productions and Ludwig Productions over his portrayal on The Secret Lives, according to court documents filed on November 13, 2026, according to Just Jared. Mortensen, 33, claims the producers deliberately crafted a false narrative that ruined his reputation and caused the loss of numerous business deals.
Mortensen has been a regular on the series since it first aired in 2023, appearing alongside reality star and former partner Taylor Frankie Paul, 32. His legal filing targets the show’s third, fourth, and fifth seasons, arguing that the production team assembled storylines from staged events while intentionally deleting footage that would have contradicted the negative portrayal.
Mortensen contends he is not simply complaining about a negative edit, but rather a more serious deception where producers ignored information from him and others that the allegations were false.
He has requested a jury trial to determine the final amount of compensatory and other damages. While Mortensen has been investigated for domestic violence incidents and was involved in an extensive custody battle for their shared child, he says that he has never faced criminal charges related to those events.
Mortensen also challenges the show’s depiction of a retreat, which he says was framed as being caused by relationship difficulties; he alleges the true cause was Paul’s own physical aggression toward him and their child. According to the filing, producers possessed footage of Paul striking Mortensen with a pizza box but opted to withhold it from viewers to maintain their chosen narrative.
Mortensen denies allegations presented on the series that he contacted Child Protective Services to retaliate against Paul. He asserts that the broadcasts remain available on Hulu and continue to promote what he describes as a knowingly false portrayal. As of mid-November 2026, representatives for the involved parties had not provided comments regarding the pending litigation.
