A judge will decide whether Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, must take a paternity test.
Lawyers for Jones and the woman battled over whether the woman had a putative father during a hearing that lasted about an hour on Monday morning in the George Allen Courts Building in downtown Dallas. The suggested DNA testing was dubbed “an invasion of privacy” by Jones’ lawyers as well.
The complaint, which Alexandra Davis filed on March 3, 2022, claimed that Jones and her mother were having an affair in the mid-1990s, was first reported by The Dallas Morning News.
As to the official court records, Jones and Cynthia Davis, the mother of Alexandra Davis, came to an agreement whereby Jones promised to provide them with financial support, provided that they withheld Jones’ fatherhood from the public. Alexandra Davis filed the lawsuit, arguing that the agreement did not bind her.
Later, however, she withdrew the claim and pursued DNA testing as proof that Jones was, in fact, her father. A judge ruled in late December 2022 that Jones would be tested for DNA. His lawyers immediately filed an appeal.
Levi McCathern, Charles “Chip” Babcock, and state senator Royce West, Jones’ attorneys, contended that Davis had a putative father her mother’s spouse at the time of her birth—and that this precludes the case against Jones from proceeding.
In addition, his lawyers stated that “curiosity” is insufficient justification for Davis to prove paternity and that the government is not allowed to test someone’s genetic makeup unless there is a “good reason.”
In earlier court appearances and arguments, Jones’ attorneys have maintained that Davis’ case is only one of several “monetary extortion attempts.” Davis allegedly received over $3.2 million from her mother’s contract with Jones, which included international travel, vacations to other countries, and almost $70,000 for a Range Rover.
Kris Hayes and Andrew Bergman, Davis’ attorneys, countered with a document from an Arkansas court case that declares, “in plain and apparent words,” that Davis is not the child of her mother’s now-ex-husband.
Hayes stated that Jones has just two choices to proceed with the case, as Davis does not have a putative father as a result.”The only thing they can do is acknowledge paternity or agree to take the paternity test once that burden has been met,” according to Hayes.
Judge Sandra Jackson stated she would consider the arguments and evidence made during the hearing, but she did not provide a deadline for her decision. In a U.S. district court, Jones and Davis are engaged in yet another legal dispute. She sued him in March, alleging defamation; the case was reopened in November after being partially dismissed in October.
At a Texarkana federal court hearing, the defense team requested that the judge dismiss the complaint a second time. As of Monday AM, no decision had been made. A woman has accused Jones of sexually assaulting her in 2018 at AT&T Stadium, and the case, including the injuries sustained, is set for a jury trial. He refuted those accusations.