Sophie Turner Sues Joe Jonas Over Daughters Return to England

Sophie Turner has filed a lawsuit against her estranged husband, Joe Jonas, seeking the return of their two daughters to England. Court documents from the southern district of New York, dated September 21, assert that their daughters were wrongfully retained in New York City, away from their habitual residence in the United Kingdom.

The documents reveal that the former couple established England as their permanent residence in April 2023 to facilitate their children’s schooling in England. It’s stated that Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner initially moved into a rental property in May 2023, with plans to relocate to a permanent home by December 2023.

Amid relationship strains compounded by travel complications over the summer, they reportedly decided that their daughters would accompany Joe Jonas on his band’s U.S. Tour, commencing in July, while Sophie Turner began filming a new drama series in the UK in May.

However, Joe Jonas filed for divorce in Miami Dade County, Florida, on September 1. Turner allegedly learned about the divorce filing through media reports on September 5. Following the divorce filing, the couple met on September 17 to discuss their separation, during which Turner reiterated their agreement for their daughters to return to England. However, according to the petition, Joe Jonas was in possession of their daughters’ passports and refused to surrender them to Turner.

The court documents argue that Joe Jonas’ refusal to allow their daughters to return to England with Turner violates her custody rights under English law, given that England was the children’s habitual residence. The petition was also filed under The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, which provides procedures for the return of children wrongfully removed or retained in another country.

Joe Jonas had initially claimed that their children had been residing in Florida for six months before announcing their separation. He sought joint custody of their daughters, asserting that shared parental responsibility was in the best interests of the children.

In response, Joe Jonas’ representative stated that the Florida Court had already issued an order restricting both parents from relocating the children. The representative claimed that Turner had been served with this order on September 6. According to Joe Jonas’ representative, a cordial meeting occurred in New York, where Turner came to be with the children. However, less than 24 hours later, Turner expressed her intention to permanently take the children to the UK, demanding Joe Jonas hand over their passports, potentially violating the Florida Court order.

Joe Jonas’ representative clarified that while he was open to their children being raised in both the U.S. and the UK, their daughters were American citizens born in the U.S. and had spent most of their lives there.

The representative criticized Turner’s recent petition, suggesting it aimed to shift divorce proceedings to the UK and permanently remove the children from the U.S. They emphasized Joe Jonas’ desire for Turner to reconsider her legal stance and pursue a more constructive and private approach while prioritizing the well-being of their children.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, who issued a joint statement announcing their divorce on September 6, emphasized that their decision was mutual and requested privacy for themselves and their children. The divorce proceedings have become a subject of media attention and legal disputes.