Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas reach agreement after child custody row

‘Game of Thrones’ star sued her estranged husband last week to return their children to the UK

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas are arguing over where their divorce proceedings will be taking place.

Jonas is aiming for their case to be heard in the US while Turner wants the case to take place in England, where she wants her two daughters to live, Page Six reported.

A hearing took place in Miami on Wednesday 27 September, with the court deciding that it wouldn’t make a final decision on parenting until Turner’s lawsuit in New York, which she filed last week claiming Jonas refused to give back their kids’ passports, has made its definitive ruling as to whether the case should be heard in the UK or Florida.

The judge in Florida said a hearing would be held on 11 December regarding Turner’s request for the case’s dismissal, regardless of the New York case.

As for the couple’s children, they will be staying in New York for the time being.

The couple has temporarily agreed to keep their daughters — Willa, three, and another unnamed daughter, 14 months — in New York, according to documents filed on Monday 25 September in New York and obtained by People.

The documents state that Turner, 27 and Jonas, 34, have to keep their children in the Southern and Eastern districts of New York, which includes New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

Both Jonas and Turner have agreed to these conditions, according to the documents. “The parties have agreed to the entry of the attached proposed Interim Consent Order, without prejudice to either party’s claims and defenses, prohibiting the removal of the parties’ children from the jurisdictions of the United States District Courts for the Southern & Eastern Districts of New York pending further order of this Court,” they read, People reported.

If the order is violated, the documents state that the court has the right to “take or cause to be taken measures under Federal or State law, as appropriate, to protect the well-being of the child involved or to prevent the child’s further removal or concealment before the final disposition of the petition”.

The temporary agreement comes less than one week after Turner sued her estranged husband to return their two young children to England.

According to court documents obtained by NBC News, a petition filed Thursday 21 September in the southern district of New York claimed that the former couple’s daughters have been wrongfully retained in New York City from “their habitual residence” in the United Kingdom.

The documents state that the former couple had made England their permanent residence in April 2023 due to a desire to have their children attend school in England. According to the filing, the Jonas Brothers singer and the Game of Thrones star moved into a rental in May 2023 with a plan to move into a permanent home in December 2023.

But amid relationship tensions complicated by travel arrangements over the summer, they reportedly decided that their daughters would travel with Jonas on his band’s US Tour, which began in July, while Turner began filming a new drama series in the UK in May.

However, Jonas ultimately filed a petition for dissolution of marriage in Miami Dade County, Florida on 1 September. Per the court documents, Turner allegedly learned about the divorce filing through the media, when it was reported on 5 September.

In a statement to The Independent, a representative for Jonas stated that - following the singer’s divorce filing in Florida - the Florida Court has already entered an order that restricts both parents from relocating their children. Turner was allegedly served with this order on 6 September.

“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,” said Jonas’ rep via email. “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 UK.

“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,” they said.

While the singer is “okay” with their children being raised in both the US and the UK, his rep stated that their daughters “are American citizens” born in the states and have spent “the vast majority of their lives” in the US.

“This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending,” they added. “When language like ‘abduction’ is used, it is misleading at best, and a serious abuse of the legal system at worst. The children were not abducted.”

His reps also claim that Turner’s recent petition was filed “only to move the divorce proceedings to the UK and to remove the children from the US permanently”.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Turner and Jonas for comment.