Jerry Jones’ paternity trial has ended with a settlement, but the single day of courtroom activity still provided plenty of memorable moments.
When 27-year-old Alexandra Davis came forward to claim she was the daughter of the Dallas Cowboys’ owner, her mother, Cynthia Jones, who signed a paternity agreement with Jones in 1998, reportedly broke down in tears when she took the stand.
according to WFAACynthia Davis cried so much that the judge called for a recess and Jones himself greeted her with a hug.
The 81-year-old billionaire has sued Alexandra and Cynthia Davis, claiming that the aforementioned contract was breached.
Jones appears to have paid tens of thousands of dollars for Alexandra, but has repeatedly denied that she is his daughter.
However, the Davises and their lawyers argued that Jones did in fact recognize Cynthia as his child. At a Cowboys Club Christmas party in 2019, Jones also allegedly told Cynthia’s friends that he had two daughters, one of whom was Alexandra, and that he loved them both equally.
“That’s not what he thinks. He’s never going to talk to her,” Cynthia said Monday.
Davis’ lawyer, Jay Gray, argued that Jones was, in effect, suing to defend his own reputation rather than admitting the truth, and called the move “typical Jones behavior.”
“He knows he is the real father but he is driven by a desire for revenge because his real family has been hurt,” Gray said, noting Jones did not want to reveal that he has a daughter with Davis, rather than with his wife, Eugenia.
Meanwhile, Jones’ representatives caused a furor by playing a clip from 2011’s “Big Rich Texas” in which Cynthia Davis said, “All men want is money.”
However, Cynthia denied that she was told to say the line by the show’s producers.
Jones’ team further suggested that Cynthia instructed Alexandra to lie during a 2017 dinner when she shared notes with Jones’ lawyer, Donald Jack.
The note said Alexandra only wanted to speak with Jones for 15 minutes, but it was issued a month before she turned 21 and was no longer eligible to receive payment from Jones.
Cynthia apparently explained that she regretted the decision, noting that she had undergone chemotherapy in 2017 and that Alexandra’s therapist had recommended the procedure.
Jones himself had been scheduled to speak on Tuesday, but those plans were rescheduled after the settlement was reached.
With that unusual incident behind him, Jones will now turn his attention to the Cowboys’ training camp, which begins on Thursday in Oxnard, California.
A bigger financial headache for Jones than that will be finding a way to pay both quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb, with the latter likely to wait until his contract is worked out.
