Previously on the Jophie saga, Sophie Turner sued her estranged husband, Joe Jonas, for the “immediate return” of their children to move to England. Now, the Game of Thrones alum, 27, is keeping their daughters close to her, as she was spotted holding hands with their 3-year-old, Willa, while running errands in New York City.
The mother-daughter duo was seen walking beside a friend before crossing a street in the Big Apple, according to a video obtained by Page Six on Thursday, September 21. For the day out, Sophie wore a black T-shirt, matching leggings, white sneakers and a black baseball cap. Willa appeared to be carrying a doll while staying close to her mom, and the toddler wore a purple T-shirt and gray shorts. The outlet noted that the group bought art supplies from a local CVS.
Hours earlier, Sophie filed a lawsuit against the Jonas Brothers band member, 34, for “the immediate return of children wrongfully removed or wrongfully detained.” In the filing, the Joan actress claimed that the “wrongful detention” of the children began on Wednesday, September 20. In addition to Willa, Sophie and Joe share another daughter, whose name has not been revealed. They welcomed her in 2022.
In response to Sophie’s filing, a rep for Joe told HollywoodLife that the lawsuit was “misleading” and a “serious abuse of the legal system at worst” due to the “language” in the filing, such as its use of the word, “abduction.”
“This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending,” Joe’s rep said. “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. Sophie is making this claim only to move the divorce proceedings to the U.K. and to remove the children from the U.S. permanently.”
The rep also denied Sophie’s original claim that she found out “through the media” the “Cake by the Ocean” artist was divorcing her.
“After multiple conversations with Sophie, Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case,” the rep continued. “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.”
As for how the couple allegedly discussed their plans to share custody of their children, Joe’s rep claimed that the estranged spouses “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,” the rep added. “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 U.K. 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.”
The New Jersey native’s rep concluded by noting that Joe is “seeking shared parenting with the kids so that they are raised by both their mother and father.” Additionally, the rep noted that the “Hesitate” artist is “of course also OK with the kids being raised both in the U.S. and the U.K.”