Joe Jonas sued Sophie Turner for divorce in Florida.
Sophie Turner sued Joe Jonas in New York for the return of their children to England.
From the beginning, the Florida Divorce and Southern District of New York return of the children action between superstars Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas have been factually, legally, and logistically intertwined. [insert link to 9.22.23 blog].
The media was a buzzed when the couple entered a consent order requiring their daughters to remain in New York until further order of the court.
On October 2, 2023, [insert link to 10.2.23 blog] after reviewing Turner’s initial Petition for the immediate return of the minor children, I predicted the Queen of the North’s motivations were more strategic than the pleading implied.
Shortly after, the couple announced to the Federal New York Judge their upcoming four day mediation for their Florida Divorce. When questioned whether scheduling the deadlines and final trial should be postponed, the couple agreed the trial on Turner’s petition for the return of their children to England should run concurrent with the mediation. And so, on October 3, 2023 the Federal New York Judge entered orders establishing the time line and deadlines for the expedited trial on the question of the minor daughter’s habitual residence.
As Turner & Jonas underwent the grueling work of four days of mediation, the result hit the New York Federal docket long before the media cycle. The couple filed two joint motions for the judge to enter in Turner’s fast tracked federal case: 1) to stay the proceedings and terminate all deadlines and appearances scheduled and 2) to supersede the consent order requiring their daughters remain in the jurisdiction of New York until further order. This agreement was trumped by the new agreement that their daughters would spend equal time with each parent, and each country.
On October 10, 2023, on the same day as the joint motions, the new York Federal court issued those consent orders.
Turner’s Petition for the immediate return of their children to England is officially on pause, while the Queen of the North also gain assurance her daughters would be spending plenty of time in the English countryside for the holidays. How long the pause will be is left unanswered as both orders are silent on the issue.
Joe Jonas has yet to even file any pleading in response to Turner’s Petition – and he may not need to.
On October 2, 2023, I predicted that Turner’s Petition for such drastic relief, like the immediate return of their children to a country they’d not step foot on for nearly 9 months, wasn’t the superstars prime objective. Instead, I hypothesized the Federal filing was a strategic jurisdiction and media move to force the issue of custody of their children to the forefront of any legal discussion between the parties. Without a doubt, the expedited trial schedule mandated by a Hague filing, thanks to the Supreme Court of the United States ruling in Chafin v. Chafin, put significant pressure on the celebrity couple to come to some agreement about where, and therefore, with whom their daughters would reside.
For now, at least, it seems Turner and Jonas agree – their daughters will continue their fast-pasted traveling lifestyle between the two countries. While the pressure of litigation is significantly less now with their consent pause; Turner’s case is not over. The ultimate question of their daughter’s habitual residence and ‘forever home’ is still a question for someone – whether the Court or their parents – to decide.