The divorce between Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner continues to get messier and more complicated by the day, and now Turner is suing her soon-to-be ex-husband and requesting that their two children be returned to England to live with her.
According to legal documents, obtained by Entertainment Tonight, Turner has petitioned for the “immediate return” of their one- and three-year-old daughters. The documents state the couple made England their permanent home earlier this year.
The documents also reveal that the custody arrangement that’s been in the works as part of the divorce proceedings has become a point of contention.
“On or about September 17, 2023, the parties met to discuss their separation,” the docs state, according to ET. “(Turner) reiterated the parties’ agreed plan for the children to return home to England that week. (Jonas) has possession of the children’s passports. He refuses to return the passports to (Turner) and refuses to send the children home to England with (Turner).”
The documents also allege that Turner found out about the divorce not from Jonas or his legal team – but from the media.
“The breakdown of the parties’ marriage happened very suddenly,” the documents state. “The parties had an argument on Aug. 15, 2023. On or about Sept. 1, 2023, (Jonas) filed a divorce case against (Turner) in Florida. On or about Sept. 5, 2023, (Turner) found out through the media that (Jonas) had filed for divorce.”
Jonas hit back at those claims Thursday just hours after news broke of Turner’s lawsuit.
FILE – Joe Jonas has filed for divorce from Sophie Turner after four years of marriage.
Lionel Hahn/Getty Images
“After multiple conversations with Sophie, Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case,” his rep said in a statement, which was obtained by ET Canada.
“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 continued: “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. Joe’s impression of the meeting was that they had reached an understanding that they would work together towards an amicable co-parenting setup.
“Less than 24 hours later, 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. If he complies, Joe will be in violation of the Florida Court order.”
The statement claims that Jonas wants “shared parenting” so that their kids are raised by both parents, and is “okay with the kids being raised in both the U.S. and U.K.”
The statement also asks that Turner “reconsider her harsh legal position and move forward in a more constructive and private manner.”
The celebrity couple, who were married for four years, announced they were getting divorced on Sept. 6. At the time, through a statement posted on their individual Instagram accounts, they called their split “amicable” and a “united decision.”
The past couple of weeks have proven anything but peaceful. When a slew of negative stories about Turner came out in the press in the days surrounding the divorce announcement, many pointed fingers at Jonas, accusing him of planting stories about Turner being a bad mom and partying too much.
Jonas has adamantly denied the claims, saying in Thursday’s statement that he “has already disavowed any and all statements purportedly made on his behalf that were disparaging of Sophie. They were made without his approval and are not consistent with his views.”
Turner is best known for her role as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones. The actor has also played Margaret Ratliff in the drama The Staircase and Jean Grey in the X-Men film franchise.
Jonas and his two brothers, Nick Jonas and Kevin Jonas, make up the popular trio the Jonas Brothers. Together, they have starred in numerous Disney TV shows and released several hit songs, including Burnin’ Up, Sucker and Year 3000. The band released its sixth studio album in May and is currently touring the U.S.
— With a file from Global News’ Sarah Do Couto
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