Mediation may be what’s needed to keep Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas’ messy divorce out of the headlines.
Attorneys for the estranged couple met Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, where they agreed to a four-day mediation that begins Wednesday.
Mediation is set to begin after a federal judge sets a Jan. 2 trial date to decide whether Jonas, 34, illegally kept his children, Willa, 3, and Delphine, 14 months, in the U.S. by denying them passports, as Turner, 27, alleges. .
Turner’s attorney, Stephen Cullen, said in court Tuesday that her team would be “very engaged” in resolving the issue during a planned mediation in Manhattan and that he sought an “amicable resolution” in the case, which invoked international Hague Convention law.
Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner begin four-day mediation over custody and parenting plan for daughters
Jonas’ legal team echoed the sentiment. “Let there be mediation,” Jonas’ lawyer Richard Min said, adding that his team is “optimistic that they have given space for mediation, and four days is enough time.”
While both want to determine custody after Jonas filed for divorce in Miami on Sept. 5, the couple can win everything by working out their issues in private mediation, legal experts say.
“Mediation is apparently a common way for titles to go away,” says LA family law expert Steve Mindel, who is not connected to the case. “At this point, Joe and Sophie have to sit down and make a decision — and the mediator will help them make that decision — about whether or not they really want to be public with this.”
A mediator will have to wade through a number of issues once the process begins Wednesday, from a basic parenting plan to which court will have jurisdiction over the divorce (proceedings are currently open in Florida, New York and the United Kingdom). If the couple manages to reconcile, the Hague issue and federal trial could be avoided, Mindel adds.
The next few days will be an intense process for the couple. “Whether on Zoom or in person,” negotiations are usually all-day affairs, Mindel says. “They start at 9 in the morning, and if the middleman works, you could be gone by 8, 9 or 10 at night. To do that four days in a row would be exhausting.” Freeing up four days, he notes, “both Joe and Sophie are putting an incredible amount of resources into solving it.”
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner ‘have been living separate lives for months,’ a source says
Sophie Turner was seen on October 3rd in New York.
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If mediation proves successful, Jonas and Turner will likely enter into a custody arrangement that extends for about three years until their older Willa enters kindergarten. “That’s probably as far as they’re going to go in this mediation,” Mindel predicted, saying it’s routine for the couple to reevaluate based on school needs.
The youth of their children is the most important in such cases. Judge Katherine Failla said in court Tuesday that he “repeats[es] concern for the children” given their young age.
The January trial date was announced on Tuesday after Jonas and Turner’s legal teams revealed various upcoming commitments for the stars, including Jonas’ tour dates and Turner’s work plans in the UK.
The couple’s lawyers disagreed on how long the trial would last. Turner’s attorney estimated two-and-a-half days, focusing on where the children’s habitual residence was, while Min took a different view, saying a week, or possibly longer, was needed.
“These are two people who have a lot of family, friends, social contacts and business relationships that factor into their decision-making and their discussions,” Min said, noting that there will be a number of key witnesses.
Cullen “vehemently” opposed the need for a long list of statements.
Both parents currently have access to the children, who live in New York with Turner while the case is pending, the court heard Tuesday. “Both sides see their kids, and that’s what we all want,” Cullen said.
A judge said Tuesday that a temporary consent order requiring Jonas and Turner to keep their children in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York (which includes New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley) remains in effect.
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