Madonna goes to court to force ex-husband Guy Ritchie to return son Rocco, 15, to New York after teen ‘says he wants to stay with Dad in England’

Madonna and Guy Ritchie have found themselves in the midst of a residence battle after one of their two teenage sons refused to return from London to the United States to be with his mother.

The Material Girl singer appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday morning, telling a judge that her son had informed her that he would prefer to stay in the UK with his film-director dad.

The 57-year-old pop diva, who is currently in the middle of her Rebel Heart world tour, asked Justice Deborah Kaplan to force her ex-husband to send their 15-year-old son, Rocco, to New York.

Scroll down for video 

Legal feud: Madonna and Guy Ritchie are battling it out in court over the residence of their 15-year-old son, Rocco, who reportedly refused to return to New York this week. The photo on the left shows Rocco with his mother in Manhattan in August, while the image on the right depicts the teen with Ritchie in June 2015

What a boy wants: Ritchie's attorney said in court that Rocco, 15, pictured here in August 2015 on the red carpet with his father, stepmother Jacqui Ainsley and brother David, has made it clear he wants to stay in the UK

An attorney representing Mr Ritchie responded that the teen 'has expressed very clearly that he does not want to return to New York,' the New York Daily News reported.

When asked by the judge whether Ritchie, 47, has prevented his son from returning to the US, the filmmaker's lawyer, Eric Buckley, reportedly replied: 'Effectively yes.'

Kaplan ruled that Rocco Ritchie must return to New York and talk to his mother before deciding which parent he prefers.

The 15-year-old will be represented in the custody case by his own court-appointed attorney, Justice Kaplan decreed.

‘I’m directing the child to be returned to New York,’ Kaplan told the singer, who showed up in court in a black cape. ‘If he wants to stay with his father, he must return to his mother.’

Daily Mail on Wednesday reached out to Guy Ritchie's representatives for comment and was waiting to hear back. 

Happy memories: Madonna and Guy Ritchie leave Dornoch Cathedral in Dornach, Scotland after the christening of their son Rocco on December 21, 2000

Madonna and Ritchie began dating in 1998 and the pop star gave birth to Rocco two years later on August 11, 2000.

It was the first child for Ritchie and the second for Madonna, who had a daughter Lourdes from a previous relationship with actor Carlos Leon. 

Four months after Rocco's birth the couple was married on December 22 at Skibo Castle in Dornach, Scotland. Rocco was christened the day before the wedding at Dornoch Cathedral in front of guests including his godparents Sting and Trudie Styler.

Madonna and Ritchie also joined their professional lives in the years after their nuptials, with Ritchie directing Madonna in the music video for her single 'What It Feels Like For A Girl' and a short film for BMW called Star the year after their wedding.

Then, in 2002, Madonna starred in Swept Away, a remake of the 1974 Italian classic of the same name written and directed by Ritchie.

In an interview with The New York Times to promote the film's release, the couple spoke about working together and the respect they had for one another, with Madonna saying; 'Guy's the director. He has the final say. I accept that and I did have to accept that, full stop. 

'So there was never, never a question. And it was always about respect. I'm never going to be disrespectful and get into an argument with any of my directors.' 

The pair also said in that interview they would both work together again if they had the chance but Madonna returned to her music after the release of Swept Away - save a cameo appearance in the 2003 James Bond film Die Another Day for which she recorded the theme song - while Ritchie went on to direct the films Revolver and RocknRolla.

In 2006 the couple also welcomed another child to their family when they adopted a child from Malawi, David. 

They announced they were splitting in October 2008 and their divorce was finalized that December. 

The couple agreed to have shared custody of Rocco and David, with the boys splitting their time between Ritchie's home in London and Madonna's home in New York.

Madonna went on to adopt another child from Malawi after the couple's divorce in 2009, Mercy James.

Ritchie meanwhile now has two sons, Rafael (born 2011) and Levi (born 2014), and a daughter Rivka (born 2012) with his wife Jacqui Ainsley whom he married this past July. 

Reunited: Rocco traveled to Spain last month (pictured) to spend Thanksgiving Day with his mother and 10-year-old adopted brother, David

A look back: Madonna and Ritchie married in 2000 and divorced in 2008. Besides Rocco (seen as a young boy far left), they also have an adopted son. The singer has two other children, including Lourdes Leon (far right)

Madonna spent Thanksgiving with Rocco and David in Barcelona, Spain, where she hosted a dinner for about 70 guests after performing two concerts at Palau Sant Jordi arena. 

The tireless singer has been on the road since early September. The Rebel Heart tour is scheduled to wrap up in March in Brisbane, Australia.

Earlier this year, Madonna revealed to Entertainment Weekly that Rocco, then 14, was coming with her on tour.

In the interview by Andy Cohen for EW.com, she said: 'I think he's probably gonna work behind the scenes. He's not interested in performing on stage with me right now.'

She then added: 'There's way cooler things. Your mom is not that cool when you're 14.'