Sophie Turner sues Joe Jonas to return kids to England

BROOKLYN (CN) — Seeking to return their two young children to England, actress Sophie Turner sued singer Joe Jonas on Thursday. The pair announced their divorce earlier this month. 

Turner, 27, accuses the 34-year-old Jonas of refusing to return the children’s passports and send them back to their mother's home country, despite the couple’s previous agreement that Jonas would do so. 

Known for her roles in "Game of Thrones" and the "X-Men" franchise, Turner travels frequently for work, as does Jonas, the middle brother in his eponymous singing trio. But the couple has been planning for over a year to make England their permanent home so their children can attend school there, Turner explained in the petition. They relocated to England in April 2023, and initially stayed at a rental property in London. 

“The children are fully involved and integrated in all aspects of daily and cultural life in England,” Turner said in the petition filed in the Southern District of New York. 

Those ties to England, where the kids have extended family and friends, include receiving routine medical and dental care, and participating in extracurricular activities, playdates and other cultural activities, Turner said. The couple's older child goes to school in England and the parties previously agreed both children would attend school there. 

While the family was still living at a rental property in England, they expected to move in to their new home once it was completed in December 2023. 

In May 2023, Turner started filming a new six-part drama series at various United Kingdom locations. Because her filming schedule was demanding, the pair agreed that in August 2023 the children would temporarily travel with Jonas while he toured with his band, The Jonas Brothers, in the United States. 

“When the father is on tour, although his evenings are busy performing, he has periods of the day to spend time with the children,” the complaint says. “With some hesitation, the parties planned and agreed that it would be best for the children to travel with the father and the family’s nanny to the United States for the month of August.”

Turner was expected to meet the family in New York when she finished filming on Sept. 14, collect the children and return to England. When she and Jonas met around Sept. 17 to discuss their separation, Turner reiterated their plan to return the children to England. 

But now, Turner claims, Jonas refuses to turn over the children’s passports.

After four years, the couple’s marriage ended “very suddenly,” according to the petition: Following an argument on Aug. 15, Jonas filed for divorce around Sept. 1 in Miami Dade County, Florida. Turner says she found out about the divorce through the media. 

On Sept. 6, the couple simultaneously announced they were “mutually” splitting up. 

“After four wonderful years of marriage we have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage,” the couple’s joint social media post states. “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 his divorce filing, Jonas asked for a parenting plan and a timesharing schedule to be ordered by the Florida state court. Additionally, he “incorrectly” claimed that the children had lived in Florida for the six months leading up to the divorce filing, Turner said in the petition. 

According to Turner, the family has only stayed at their Miami property on three occasions in the last year for a total of about 11 weeks. 

Follow @NikaSchoonover

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