Jonas responded to Turner's new court filing in a lengthy statement on Thursday.
Joe Jonas has responded to Sophie Turner's lawsuit about bringing their daughters home to the U.K., denying claims that his estranged wife found out about their divorce through the media.
"After multiple conversations with Sophie, Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case," reads a statement from Jonas' rep, obtained by ET on Thursday. "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."
According to court documents obtained by ET, Turner filed a petition in a New York court on Thursday to ask for the "immediate return" of their two daughters to the United Kingdom. The docs state that the couple made England their permanent home in April of this year.
Jonas filed for divorce from Turner in a Miami court earlier this month, after four years of marriage, and their daughters have primarily been with him this summer, as Turner filmed a project in the U.K.
"On or about September 17, 2023, the parties met to discuss their separation," Turner's filing states. "[Turner] reiterated the parties' agreed plan for the children to return home to England that week. [Jonas] has possession of the children’s passports. He refuses to return the passports to [Turner] and refuses to send the children home to England with [Turner]."
Jonas' statement, however, paints their meeting in a different light.
"Joe and Sophie had a cordial meeting this past Sunday in New York, when Sophie came to New York to be with the kids," it reads. "They have been with her since that meeting. 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. 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."
"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," the statement continues. "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."
Both of Turner and Jonas' daughters, 3-year-old Willa and her 1-year-old little sister -- whose name has never been revealed to the public, though court documents indicate her initials are "DMJ" -- are dual citizens of the United Kingdom and the United States.
Jonas' statement also takes aim at the legal language used in Turner's filing.
"This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending," it reads. "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. Sophie is making this claim only to move the divorce proceedings to the UK and to remove the children from the U.S. permanently."
Following Jonas' divorce filing, the former couple shared a joint statement on their Instagram pages, addressing the split and asking for privacy for their family.
"Joe has already disavowed any and all statements purportedly made on his behalf that were disparaging of Sophie," Jonas' new statement concludes. "They were made without his approval and are not consistent with his views. 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."
The new court filing comes just days after Turner was spotted hanging out with Jonas' other most famous ex, Taylor Swift. The pair was photographed arm-in-arm in New York City on Tuesday night.
Turner was already inside West Village haunt Via Carota when Swift arrived to have dinner with her and two other women. Swift, who briefly dated Jonas in 2009, was seen hugging Turner in one video from the outing.
From there, Turner and Swift left the restaurant arm-in-arm to head to Temple Bar, a nearby nightclub, where they stayed for a couple of hours before leaving around 11 p.m., according to a source.
"Sophie seemed to be happy and enjoying the night," an eyewitness told ET, with ET's source adding, "They seemed to be having the best time -- they were laughing and chitchatting with the waitstaff and drinking martinis."
Meanwhile, a second source told ET that the two women "have always liked and respected each other."
"They are fans of each other and have been friends for a while," the source said. "Sophie doesn't care that Taylor dated Joe. It was so long ago and in the past. Taylor has a good time when she's with Sophie and they enjoyed some fun girl time together last night."
RELATED CONTENT:
