Joe Jonas has denied "abducting" his children following the bombshell court documents that revealed his ex-wife Sophie Turner is suing him.
As previously reported, Turner, widely known for her role in Game of Thrones, is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with her estranged husband, Jonas, over the custody of their two children.
According to documents obtained by The Messenger, Turner is taking legal action to have their children returned to their "forever home" in England amid the escalating tensions surrounding their divorce proceedings.
Turner's legal filings allege a "wrongful retention" of their children that began "on or about" September 20, invoking the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. The court documents outline two main objectives: expediting the return of the children illicitly removed or retained and upholding the "rights to custody" in various contracting states.
The celebrity couple shares two daughters, three-year-old Willa and another daughter born in July last year.
Turner claims that Jonas is withholding their daughters' passports and breaking an alleged agreement for the children to return to England with their mother around the week of September 17.
In the court filing, Turner emphasized that Jonas "refuses to send the children home to England with their Mother," which she contends represents a violation of her "rights of custody under English law."
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Jonas wishes that his ex-wife would "reconsider her harsh legal position and move forward in a more constructive and private manner."
Turner had claimed that she found out about the divorce filing via a media report, which Jonas has since denied.
A spokesperson for the singer said that the pair had "multiple conversations" about the divorce and that "Sophie was aware".
Furthermore, the singer's representative said: "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."
The meeting between the pair on September 17 was described as "cordial" and the children have been with their mother since.
Jonas allegedly left and the "impression of the meeting was that they had reached an understanding that they would work together towards an amicable co-parenting setup."
According to Jonas, Turner then did a U-turn on their agreement and if he was to oblige her and allow the children to relocate to England, he would be "in violation of the Florida Court order".
"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 U.K. The children were born in the U.S. and have spent the vast majority of their lives in the U.S. They are American citizens," the representative continued.
"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. After being in Joe’s care for the past three months at the agreement of both parties, the children are currently with their mother," Jonas's spokesperson told the Times.
The statement concluded: "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."