Sophie Turner found out Joe Jonas was divorcing her at the same time the public did, court documents say.
In a petition filed Sept. 21 in a New York City court calling for the immediate return of the couple's two young daughters to Turner's home in England, attorneys for the "Game of Thrones" star said she found out through the media, not Jonas, that her husband of four years had filed divorce papers.
"On or about Sept. 5, 2023, the Mother found out through the media that the Father had filed for divorce," the filing states.
A day later on Sept. 6, Turner, 27, and Jonas, 34, issued a joint statement posted to both of their Instagram accounts.
A representative for Jonas issued a statement to NBC News in response to Turner's petition.
"Sophie was aware that Joe was going to file for divorce," his rep said. "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."
His rep also said Jonas and Turner had a "cordial meeting" Sept. 17 that left Jonas with the impression "they reached an understanding" about a co-parenting arrangement. Less than a day later, Turner advised to take their children to the U.K. permanently and demanded via her court filing that Jonas hand over their passports, Jonas' rep said.
"If he complies, Joe will be in violation of the Florida Court order," his rep also said.
NBC News has reached out to Turner's team for comment.
Turner’s petition was filed through the Hague Abduction Convention, an international treaty that aims to give a civil solution to parents “seeking the return of a child wrongfully removed or retained across international borders.” Turner’s filing doesn’t directly accuse Jonas of abduction; it states the court has jurisdiction under the International Child Abduction Remedies Act.
Jonas filed for divorce on or about Sept. 1, just over two weeks after the couple had an argument on Aug. 15, according to Turner's court filing.
The breakdown of their four-year marriage "happened very suddenly," Turner's filing states.
Their two young daughters had been traveling with Jonas and a nanny in the U.S. while Jonas was on tour, according to Turner's court filing. Jonas and Turner had planned to bring them back to England on Sept. 20 after she finished filming a television show, but that was complicated by the breakdown of their marriage, her court documents say.
She sued Jonas for "wrongful retention of two children" and called for the girls' "immediate return" to their residence in England, according to the petition. In the court filing, Turner claims that on or about Sept. 17, she met with Jonas to discuss their separation and they reiterated a plan for the children to return to England that week. However, Jonas refused to return their passports from his possession and refused to send the children to England, the court filing alleges.