Sophie Turner sues Joe Jonas for children’s return to England
Sophie Turner, the British actress, has initiated legal action against her former partner, singer Joe Jonas, with the request that he return their two children to their “usual residence” in England. This legal move comes after the celebrity couple announced their divorce a few weeks ago following more than four years of marriage, which they had described as a friendly separation.
However, on Thursday, Turner, aged 27, through her legal representatives, filed a petition in which she alleged the “unlawful detention” of their children in New York. Joe Jonas, the 34-year-old singer from the Jonas Brothers, who is American, is seeking joint custody of their two daughters – Willa, born in 2020, and their second child, born last year but whose name has not been publicly disclosed.
According to the legal petition presented by Turner and seen by the BBC, the couple had established England as their “permanent home” in April. The documents assert that Jonas inaccurately claimed in his divorce application that the children, who hold dual citizenship, had resided in Florida for six months before he filed for divorce.
The petition also states that Turner and Jonas had reached an agreement allowing the children to travel to the United States in August, where their father was on tour, but this arrangement was intended to be temporary.
The court filing further indicates that the two met late last week to discuss their separation, during which Turner reiterated their mutually agreed plan for the children to return “home to England.”
However, Jonas has allegedly refused to return their passports and to send them to the UK.
Turner is said to currently be in New York with the children.
In response to the allegations, a representative for Jonas told CNN that the pair’s meeting on Sunday had been “cordial” and that his impression was that they had “reached an understanding that they would work together towards an amicable co-parenting setup.”
“The children were born in the US and have spent the vast majority of their lives in the US. They are American citizens,” the spokesperson said.
They added that Jonas wished for Turner to “reconsider her harsh legal position and move forward in a more constructive and private manner” and that “his only concern is the well-being of his children.”
Jonas has also denied Turner’s claims in the court documents that she found out about the divorce from media reports – saying she was aware in advance.
Turner is best known for her role as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones and has also appeared in the drama series The Staircase and the X-Men film franchise.
Earlier this week, Turner was photographed having dinner with pop star Taylor Swift – who dated Jonas in 2008. Online gossip blogs were in overdrive as photos of the two, walking along arm-in-arm, went viral.
As a solo artist, Jonas released singles including Just In Love and This is Me, a duet with Demi Lovato.
But his best-known songs are with his brothers Nick and Kevin Jonas. As a group, the Jonas Brothers previously starred in their own Disney Channel series and scored hits with SOS, Burnin’ Up, Sucker and Waffle House.
They recently released Year 3000, a collaboration with Busted, the British band who originally released the song in 2002.
