Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants $1.6 million from his alleged daughter, Alexandra Davis, and her mother, Cynthia Davis. On Tuesday, Jones is expected to testify in the trial that started on Monday.
And, on Monday, plenty of stuff happened.
Paul Wedding of WFAA.com has an account of the day that is both comprehensive and dizzying.
The case flows from a 1998 agreement that resolved a paternity claim against Jones with an agreement to make significant payments, in exchange for a broad confidentiality requirement. Jones claims that Alexandra and Cynthia Davis violated the confidentiality clause. The $1.6 million comes from the legal expenses he allegedly incurred in defending against a 2022 lawsuit (still pending on appeal) from Alexandra Davis seeking to prove that he is her father.
During opening statements, Jones’s lawyer, Chip Babcock, claimed that the violation happened when the paternity suit was filed. Attorney Jay Gray, who represents Alexandra and Cynthia Davis, alleged that Jones violated the agreement first, by acknowledging Alexandra Davis to be his daughter on multiple occasions.
“Alexandra Davis is Mr. Jones’s daughter,” Gray added during his opening. “Mr. Jones knows she is his daughter.”
Gray also called Jones a “bully.”
“He knows he’s the real father, but now he’s vindictive because his real family has been hurt,” Gray said.
Cynthia Davis testified on Monday. Per Wedding, she broke down in tears “numerous times” while on the stand. At one point, the judge paused the proceedings due to the emotions; Jones reportedly gave her a “long hug” as she exited the witness stand. (Jones otherwise sat in court with his back turned to Alexandra Davis, per Wedding.)
Cynthia Davis testified that Jones said to her and a friend at a 2019 Christmas party that he has two daughters, Alexandra Davis and Charlotte Jones, and that he loved them both the same. Babcock attacked this claim by pointing out that Cynthia Davis never accused Jones of breaching the agreement after he shared their secret with a third party.
Also during opening statements, Gray said that, in 2017, when Alexandra Davis was close to turning 21, she only wanted to speak to Jones for 15 minutes. Jones’s lawyers pointed out that she also wanted $20 million to exit his life entirely.
Cynthia Davis testified that her daughter was upset at the time, and that the $20 million figure came from the fact that “Jones had recently paid $20 million to the illegitimate child of his son, Jerry Jones Jr.,” per Wedding’s account of the day.
(If you’re thinking this keeps getting weirder and weider, keep reading.)
Jones’s lawyers also contend that Cynthia Davis violated the agreement by giving confidential documents regarding the father-daughter relationship to Shy Anderson, who was going through a nasty divorce at the time from Charlotte Jones.
Cynthia Davis testified Shy Anderson had already learned about Alexandra Davis being Jerry’s daughter from someone else. (It sounds as if Shy Anderson should be testifying in this case, because there’s a chance that his knowledge of the relationship traces all the way to Jerry Jones himself.)
And that was just Day One. When Jerry starts testifying today, it could get even more interesting. And compelling.
And ultimately sad. Whatever the motivations or allegations, there’s a father and a daughter who have a horribly dysfunctional relationship, one that probably will never be normal.
It can’t get any more abnormal than it is this week, as the multi-billionaire who has a $250 million yacht is hoping to prove a point by seeking a measly (for him) $1.6 million from his alleged (apparently actual) daughter and her mother.
It’s amazing that it has come to this. Even though Jerry firmly believes any publicity is good publicity, there’s nothing good about any of this for him, his image, or his overall reputation.