The Dallas Cowboys owner had been scheduled to testify in federal court in Texarkana this week. With the case now dropped, that will no longer happen.
TEXARKANA, Texas — This week’s breach-of-contract trial involving Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his alleged paternity of Alexandra Davis abruptly concluded on Tuesday, halfway through what was to be its second day of proceedings.
After an extended, two-hour lunch break following a morning of testimony, court resumed at 1:25 p.m. only for Judge Robert W. Schroeder III to announce that the case — along with all other cases tied to it — had been dropped with the resolution that the contract at the center of the trial would continue to be enforced.
Furthermore, the judge revealed that all cases tied to this one were dropped by each party “with prejudice,” meaning they can’t be filed in court again.
Alexandra Davis — who started this legal back-and-forth by filing a parentage action suit against Jones in March 2022 — will no longer pursue that initial case, for which Jones had been ordered by a Dallas County judge to take a paternity test or the one that was being litigated in Texarkana.
An earlier defamation case filed by Davis had already dismissed by a judge.
After Schroeder shared the resolution in court, Jones thanked the jury for their time.
“I believe my defendants here are well-meaning,” Jones said in court about the Davises.
Jones also talked about how Cynthia Davis was a working mother, and also added that 70% of his players on the Cowboys didn’t have male role models, and that their heroes were often their mothers.
“So I appreciate working moms,” Jones said to the jury.
Outside the courthouse on Tuesday, Jones said he was pleased with how the case turned out.
“I’m happy this case is resolved,” he said.
When asked if he had any particular feelings when seeing Alexandra Davis smile today, Jones talked about spending his life with so many people around her age, particularly his Cowboys players.
“I spend my life with young people,” he said. “I have an appreciation for life ahead and y outh, and everyone that is trying to make it go.”
The Davises said while walking out of court that they too were happy with the deal. Their attorney, Jay Gray, said that he was surprised at the outcome, but that everybody was happy with it.
“I haven’t seen a smile that big on her face in a long time,” Gray said, referring to Alexandra Davis.
When asked why this dispute had to go all the way to jury trial before it was resolved, Gray said that’s just what it takes sometimes.
Also following the trial, Jones attorney Chip Babcock confirmed that there was no additional settlement beyond the resolution announced in court. Babcock also called the resolution, which reverts the relationships and agreements to their pre-filing standings, a win for everyone involved.
“I think this is a great result for all the parties,” Babcock said.
Just prior to the lunch break’s ending on Tuesday, Jones, Alexandra Davis and her mother Cynthia Davis — whom Jones embraced in a hug during a break in her Monday, trial-opening testimony — could be seen huddled and in discussion in the hallway outside the courtroom. According to Babcock, the three had lunch together earlier in the break, and the case was resolved shortly after that.
Jones refused to go into the details of what was discussed at that lunch, but said he has always had respect for the Davises, and that it was unfortunate that they got into this situation where they felt compelled to take legal action against him.
Tuesday’s proceedings began with another of Jones’ attorneys, Don Jack, taking the stand to discuss a dinner he’d had with the younger Davis, in which she allegedly made her intentions known to out Jones as her father. Jack’s testimony was paused for lunch and had been scheduled to continue after the break. With the announcement of the resolution, Jack’s testimony — along with all other proceedings related to the trial — was prematurely ended.
“I think Mr. Jack’s testimony was so compelling that I think the parties realized that maybe they didn’t have as much to fight about as they thought they did,” Babcock said.
Babcock said he felt everything in the trial had something to do with the resolution.
“The fact that you got to see what the issues are and the emotions are and how you feel about people, it’s all bound up,” he said.
The contract between Jones and the Davises — which another judge had already deemed valid, and which continues to remain in effect following Tuesday’s resolution — stipulates that Alexandra Davis would receive monthly payments from Jones until she turned 21, plus three lump-sum payments at the ages of 24, and 26 and 28. Davis will receive her final payment from Jones when she turns 28 in December, although Babcock said other aspects of the agreement will remain in place beyond that point.
Jones had been slated to testify in the trial, possibly as early as Tuesday. The resolution all parties arrived at in the trial’s second day means that he — along with his sons Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones Jr., his daughter Charlotte Jones and his wife Gene Jones, all of whom were listed as potential witnesses in the case — will escape that fate.
Lawyers and clerks involved in the case initially expected the trial to last until at least Wednesday, most likely until Thursday, and possibly even extended into Friday. Instead, it lasted just a day and a half following last Friday’s jury selection.
The trial in Texarkana did impact Jones in one way, however: On Monday, the Dallas Cowboys announced that “scheduling conflicts” would delay Jones’ “State of the Cowboys” address, which kicks off his team’s training camp each year. Instead of its initially scheduled Wednesday occurrence, and would now take place on Saturday, two days into practice.
It’s unclear how the early outcome of the trial will affect his press conference.
This is a developing story. More information will be added later.