Sophie Turner, Joe Jonas Agree To Keep Children In New York Amid Custody Battle

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner have agreed on a temporary order as they fight for custody over their children amid their divorce drama. She had wanted them to move to the U.K. with her, but a court order on Monday stated that they would have to stay in New York for the time being.

The exes share two daughters, Willa, 3, and a 14-month-old nicknamed D.J. The "Game of Thrones" actress had sued the singer for allegedly "abducting" the girls by withholding their passports, preventing them from returning to her native England. In court documents filed in Manhattan, she stated that she and the 34-year-old singer had already agreed to make England their "forever home".

Amid the custody battle, both parties on Monday have agreed to an Interim Consent Order that states the children must remain in New York's Southern and Eastern Districts, an area that covers Long Island, New York City and the Hudson Valley.

The filing obtained by People states: "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."

If the order is violated, 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".

A draft copy of the order must now be signed by Judge Katherine Polk Failla who is handling the case. The filing also cited the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and the International Child Abduction Remedies Act as the law governing the custody dispute.

The interim consent comes after Jonas fired back at Turner's allegations and called them "misleading". A representative for the singer said that the "children were not abducted" and that he was seeking "shared parenting" with the 27-year-old.

"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 spokesperson said.

The children were in Jonas' care in New York for the "past three months at the agreement of both parties" while Turner was in the U.K. filming for her new series "Joan". The girls are now with her and the representative claimed that Turner "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 representative also denied that the actress only learned about the divorce through "the media". Jonas already had "multiple conversations with Sophie" before his filing on September 5 in a Florida court.

"Joe initiated divorce proceedings in Florida, as Florida is the appropriate jurisdiction for the case. 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," the spokesperson added.

Turner and Jonas reportedly had a meeting where he thought they had reached an understanding toward an amicable co-parenting setup. But less then 24 hours later, she petitioned "for the return of the children to England" and sued him for "wrongful retention" of their daughters. The exes' custody battle over their daughters will commence with a first hearing at the Manhattan federal court on October 3.