Joe Jonas has responded through his rep to Sophie Turner‘s lawsuit against him, which alleges that Jonas has “wrongful retention” of the estranged couple’s two young daughters in the United States. Sophie, 27, filed a lawsuit in NYC against Joe, 34, on Wed, September 20, demanding “the immediate return” of their 3-year-old and 1-year-old daughters to England. Turner’s lawsuit states that Jonas is wrongfully detaining their kids in the U.S. (and keeping their passports from their mother) as the former couple allegedly agreed in December 2022 the children would move to England. Joe’s initial divorce filing in Miami reportedly restricts either parent from relocating with their children.
On Thursday, Sept 21, a rep for Jonas responded to Turner’s lawsuit. According to TMZ, Joe’s rep said: “After multiple conversations with Sophie, Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case. 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.” Jonas’ rep said that Sophie’s lawsuit is “a harsh legal position,” and added: “this is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending. When language like ‘abduction’ is used, it is misleading at best, and a serious abuse of the legal system at worst.”
Jonas’ rep also claimed that the couple met up as recently as September 17 to work towards an “amicable parenting setup” for their kids, but “less than 24 hours later, Sophie advised that she wanted to take the children permanently to the UK. 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.” Joe’s rep noted that their daughters have been living in New York with Sophie. “Joe is seeking shared parenting with the kids so that they are raised by both their mother and father, and is of course also okay with the kids being raised both in the U.S. and the UK.”
Sophie also claimed in her lawsuit that she “found out through the media” that Joe filed for divorce on September 5, a claim that Joe’s rep denied, saying that Turner and Jonas had “multiple conversations” about the end of their marriage before Joe filed for divorce.
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