Sophie Turner Sues Joe Jonas In Fresh Child Custody Dispute

Actress Sophie Turner has filed a lawsuit against her estranged husband, pop star Joe Jonas, seeking the return of their two young children to their habitual residence in England.

The legal action comes following the couple’s announcement of their divorce earlier this month, marking the end of their four-year marriage.

The court documents, filed in the Southern District of New York, state that the children, born in 2020 and 2022, have been retained in New York City since September 20, despite their habitual residence being in England.

According to the petition, the couple had decided to establish England as their permanent home in April, with the intention of having their children attend school there.

The couple moved into a long-term rental property in England in May and had entered contracts to purchase a home with plans to relocate there in December.

However, their relationship faced challenges due to complicated travel arrangements during the summer.

Turner, who started filming a new drama series in the UK in May, agreed that the children would travel with Jonas and a nanny as he began his tour with the Jonas Brothers in the United States in late July.

The plan was for the children to stay with Jonas and his extended family until Turner finished filming, at which point she would travel to New York in mid-September to return home with the children.

The divorce proceedings initiated on September 1 by Joe Jonas, filed in Florida, complicated matters further.

Turner learned about the divorce filing through the media on September 5. Notably, the divorce filing incorrectly stated that the children had resided in Florida for six months before the divorce application.

On September 17, Turner and Jonas met to discuss their separation, with Turner reiterating their prior agreement for the children to return to England that week.

However, Jonas, who was in possession of the children’s passports, refused to hand them over and allow the children to travel with Turner to England.

The petition was filed based on the alleged breach of the mother’s rights of custody under English law, given that England is the children's habitual residence.

It emphasised that the children, who hold dual citizenship, are fully integrated into daily life in England, with one of them attending school and both participating in playdates and cultural activities.

Sophie Turner has requested the return of her children to England and has submitted an application for their return through the Central Authority for England and Wales.

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas

She asserted that she never consented or acquiesced to the children's removal from England.

As the children are currently in New York with Turner, the legal action aims to enforce the child abduction clauses of the Hague Convention, an international treaty adopted by over 100 countries, including the United States.

The treaty seeks to facilitate the return of a child taken by a parent from their country of habitual residence.

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas, who first met in 2016, married in a private ceremony in Las Vegas in 2019, followed by an intimate celebration in the south of France.

They have two children together, with the firstborn in July 2020 and the second in 2022.