Last month, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appeared in court as a key witness for the defendant. Soon, he’ll be appearing as a plaintiff.
Via Lana Ferguson of the Dallas Morning News, jury selection begins on July 19 in Jones’s breach of contract claim against Alexandra Davis and Cynthia Davis. He claims that they violated an agreement when they publicly claimed that Jones is Alexandra’s father.
The lawsuit was filed as a counterclaim to a defamation lawsuit that Alexandra Davis had filed against Jones and others. The defamation claims have been dismissed, making the breach of contract allegations the only remaining claim in the case.
“It’s a case where the judge has given it very, very thorough and careful attention and we’re looking forward to trying the case not as much for the money, although there’s significant money involved, but rather to uphold the fact that when you make a deal and one side lives up to the deal as Mr. Jones did, the other side should too,” Jones’s attorney Chip Babcock told Ferguson on Monday. “Our view is that they didn’t live up to it and we did.”
A separate paternity case filed against Jones remains pending. In February, Jones was ordered to take a DNA test.
Jones contends that he and the Davises reached a settlement agreement in 1998. The contract prevented them from “suing or supporting any suit to establish paternity.” It also required them to keep the settlement details confidential. They allegedly received millions of dollars under the agreement.
The trial is set to begin on July 22. Alexandra and Cynthia Davis deny wrongdoing.
One important question becomes whether Alexandra Davis, who would have been a minor at the time, is even bound by the agreement. Usually in such cases, a guardian is appointed by a court to review the agreement and to ensure that it is fair to the child. A court then would approve the agreement and declare it legally binding. Without that, most states would not recognize the existence of a binding contract for a child under the age of 18.
If Jones wins, he’ll emerge with a piece of paper that allows him to try to recover money that was paid to Alexandra and Cynthia Davis. For someone with billions, that would seem to be more than a little vindictive, if he ultimately goes through with it.