Jury trial in Jerry Jones' breach of contract case to begin Monday
Following jury selection, the breach of contract case brought by Jerry Jones against Cynthia and Alexandra Davis is set to begin on Monday with opening statements. Jones is suing Cynthia Davis, along with her daughter Alexandra Davis, after the two women allegedly breached the contract agreed upon in 1998 to keep Alexandra’s paternity concealed. In another lawsuit, Davis is suing Jones to establish paternity, which has led to a judge ruling that the Dallas Cowboys owner must submit to testing.
Earlier this month, the judge handling the case in Texarkana, Texas ruled in favor of Jones and his lawyers by confirming the validity of the Jones’ contract. After an initial lawsuit, Alexandra Davis sued Jones for defamation after his representation claimed she was extorting him by trying to establish paternity, however, the defamation lawsuit was dismissed by a judge in March. Now, the Texas businessman is counter-suing for breach of contract.
Davis will face the man she insists is her father in a U.S. District Court in Texarkana on Monday as the trial begins. Whether he wants to or not, the lawyers for the defendants issued a subpoena that now requires Jones to appear and testify.
Davis’ paternity lawsuit, originally filed in March of 2022, followed an agreement between Jones and her mother that the family would not identify the Cowboys owner as her father. She allegedly received about $3.2 million from her mother’s agreement with Jones. The sum included four years of tuition at Southern Methodist University, trips, and about $70,000 for a Range Rover.
Jones seeking to recoup legal fees up to $1.6 million
For breaching the terms of their contract, Jerry Jones is now seeking to recoup the money that he’s lost amid the various legal proceedings – an amount totaling roughly $1.6 million, according to Davis’s attorneys.
“There was no threat to go public, quite the contrary,” Davis’ attorneys Andrew Bergman and Jay Gray told ProFootballTalk last week. “Rather than submit to a simple private genetic test, Mr. Jones chose to spend at least 1.6 million dollars that he is now suing his daughter for.”
As far as the validity of the contract is concerned, the judge ruled that “Texas law is clear,” that parents or legal guardians can enter legal agreements on their child’s behalf as long as they cannot show that the child’s interest is “adverse” to their guardian’s interest before they turn 18. Davis argued that the agreement prohibiting her from establishing paternity was a violation of Texas public policy.
“It’s really shocking,” Davis’ attorney Jay Gray told the Dallas Morning News. “I respectfully disagree with the ruling.”
“We think it supported the position we have been taking all along and the judge pointed out their position is not supported by any case law around the country,” Jones’ attorney Chip Babcock said.