Sophie Turner sues Joe Jonas for custody of their two children

Turner, who was informed about her divorce through social media, alleges Jonas is withholding the children's passports

Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner has filed a lawsuit against pop star Joe Jonas, seeking the return of their two young children to England, as per TMZ. In the court filing, Turner alleges that Jonas is withholding the children's passports, preventing their return to England. This legal action follows the couple's recent announcement of their separation after four years of marriage.

The court documents, submitted in the US District Court for Southern New York, state that the couple's children, born in 2020 and 2022, have been retained in New York City since Wednesday, despite their habitual residence being in England.

According to the petition, Turner and Jonas, a member of the Jonas Brothers, decided to make England their permanent home in April. This decision was made with the intention of having their children attend school in England. They secured a long-term rental in May and entered into home purchase contracts in July, planning to move in December.

However, their relationship faced challenges related to travel arrangements over the summer. With Turner starting a new drama series filming in the UK in May, it was agreed that the children would travel with Jonas and a nanny as he commenced the Jonas Brothers' tour in the US in late July.

The plan outlined that the children would stay with Jonas and his extended family until Turner completed her filming, after which she would travel to New York in mid-September and return to the UK with their children. The divorce filing came unexpectedly and strained their arrangement.

According to the petition, an argument occurred on Jonas' birthday, August 15, and around September 1, Jonas filed for divorce in Florida. Turner claims she only learned of the divorce filing through the media on September 5. She also disputes Jonas' divorce filings, which incorrectly stated that the children had lived in Florida for six months before the divorce filing.

The petition asserts that Turner met with Jonas on Sunday to discuss their separation, and she reiterated their agreement for the children to return to England that week. However, Jonas had possession of the children's passports and refused to hand them over for their return to England.

Joe Jonas responds

In response, Joe Jonas released a statement challenging Sophie Turner's claims, stating they were "misleading." His legal team insists that Turner was aware of his intention to file for divorce and that their initial divorce filing prohibited either parent from relocating their daughters. Jonas's team argues that Turner's timeline is inaccurate and that moving the children overseas would violate the Florida Court's orders.

“After multiple conversations with Sophie, Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case. Sophie was aware that Joe was going to file for divorce. The Florida Court has already entered an order that restricts both parents from relocating the children. Sophie was served with this order on September 6, 2023, more than two weeks ago," the statement from Jonas's side reads.

“Joe and Sophie had a cordial meeting this past Sunday in New York when Sophie came to New York to be with the kids. They have been with her since that meeting," it continued. "Joe’s impression of the meeting was that they had reached an understanding that they would work together towards an amicable co-parenting setup."

Jonas's legal advisors contend that the children have primarily resided in the United States and that Turner's statement used inflammatory language that misleads the public. They clarify that, as of now, the children are with Turner.

"Sophie advised that she wanted to take the children permanently to the U.K. Thereafter, she demanded via this filing that Joe hand over the children’s passports so that she could take them out of the country immediately," the statement alleges. "If he complies, Joe will be in violation of the Florida Court order."

Jonas' statement further points out, "This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending. When language like 'abduction' is used, it is misleading at best, and a serious abuse of the legal system at worst. The children were not abducted. After being in Joe’s care for the past three months at the agreement of both parties, the children are currently with their mother. Sophie is making this claim only to move the divorce proceedings to the UK and to remove the children from the U.S. permanently."

Inside their 'amicable' split

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by S O P H I E T U R N E R (@sophiet)

 Earlier this month, the now-former couple confirmed they are headed for a split after four years of marriage. The couple made the announcement in a joint statement on their social media accounts. It was reported that Jonas initiated the divorce proceedings. 

The statement on their Instagram accounts read, "Statement from the two of us: After four wonderful years of marriage, we have decided to amicably end our marriage. There are many speculative narratives as to why, but, truly, this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children."

In 2017, Jonas popped the question, and the couple shared their engagement with the world through matching Instagram posts. The couple's 2019 wedding was equally eventful, with a surprise ceremony in Las Vegas followed by a lavish affair in the French countryside. Their love story seemed like something out of a fairytale.

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