Another legal row: Sophie Turner sues Joe Jonas for “wrongfully detaining” kids

A representative for Joe Jonas responded to Sophie Turner’s lawsuit, saying that certain claims were “misleading.”

In a statement shared with People, the rep said that Turner “was aware” Jonas would file divorce proceedings in Florida, citing Florida as “the appropriate jurisdiction for the case.” The rep added, “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.”

Turner met with Jonas this past Sunday in New York City, where she has since spent time with their two children. “Joe’s impression of the meeting was that they had reached an understanding that they would work together towards an amicable co-parenting setup,” the rep’s statement continued. After their meeting, “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. If he complies, Joe will be in violation of the Florida Court order.”

Jonas is allegedly “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 US and the UK,” but maintains that his daughters “have spent the vast majority of their lives in the US,” per the statement.

“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. The children were not abducted,” the statement reads. “After being in Joe’s care for the past three months at the agreement of both parties, the children are currently with their mother. Sophie is making this claim only to move the divorce proceedings to the U.K. and to remove the children from the US permanently.”

The statement additionally acknowledged the early tabloid coverage of the couple’s split, in which sources cited Turner’s partying lifestyle as a reason for the divorce.

“Joe has already disavowed any and all statements purportedly made on his behalf that were disparaging of Sophie. They were made without his approval and are not consistent with his views,” the rep said in the statement. “His wish is that Sophie reconsider her harsh legal position and move forward in a more constructive and private manner. His only concern is the well-being of his children.”

This piece originally appeared in Harper's Bazaar USA