Sophie Turner accuses Joe Jonas of keeping their kids in the US after they made the UK their 'permanent home' in new lawsuit

• Sophie Turner is suing Joe Jonas, accusing him of the "wrongful retention" of their two kids.
• The petition, which was viewed by Insider, says the family officially relocated to England in April.

Sophie Turner is suing Joe Jonas, accusing him of the "wrongful retention" of their two kids in New York and asking to return to their "forever home" in the UK, according to court documents filed in Manhattan District Court on Thursday and viewed by Insider.

The "wrongful retention" began on Wednesday, Turner's petition alleges. She says the family officially relocated in April 2023 and their children are already "fully involved and integrated in all aspects of daily and cultural life in England."

Representatives for Jonas told Insider that because the singer filed for divorce in Florida, "The Florida Court has already entered an order that restricts both parents from relocating the children."

Turner and Jonas welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Willa, in 2020. Their second daughter was born in 2022.

According to Turner's petition, Turner and Jonas began house hunting in England last December and continued the search through July 2023.

The petition says they found a "beautiful country property" and planned to finalize the purchase in December 2023, adding, "Both parties were excited about the move for their family."

However, their relationship was apparently strained when the family was separated this summer. In August, Jonas returned to the US for his tour with the Jonas Brothers, while Turner remained in England to film a new drama series — described in the petition as "the first significant role" she has taken on since having their children.

Jonas agreed to keep the children until Turner finished filming on September 14, 2023, when she would bring them back to the family's rental property in England, the petition says.

Instead, Jonas filed for divorce from Turner in early September. In a dissolution of marriage filing in Miami, Florida, he said "the marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken."

The couple addressed the news in a joint statement posted on Instagram, describing their split as a "united decision."

But according to Turner's petition, "the breakdown of the parties' marriage happened very suddenly." She says she found out Jonas had filed for divorce through the media.

The former couple apparently met on September 17 to "discuss their separation," when Turner reiterated her desire to return to England with their children, according to the petition. However, Jonas has their passports and "refuses to send the children home," the document says.

Representatives for Jonas confirmed the Sunday meeting to Insider and said the kids have been with Turner since.

"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 reps said.

But, according to the reps, "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."

The reps said that Jonas wants a co-parenting agreement so the kids 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." They added that Turner "is making this claim only to move the divorce proceedings to the UK and to remove the children from the U.S. permanently."

The "Game of Thrones" star and "Sucker" singer began dating in 2016 and got married in 2019.

Turner has been vocal about her desire to raise her kids out of the spotlight. Last year, she said she yearned to return to England for her "mental health," adding, "I'm slowly dragging my husband back."

"I miss England so much. The people, the attitude, everything," she told Elle UK. "And also for my daughter — I would love her to get the education and school life that I was so lucky to have."

Legal representatives for Turner did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.