The week began with a contentious and emotional day in court for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who went from being the defendant in a paternity case (and a defamation claim, which had been dismissed) to the plaintiff in an effort to prove the breach of an agreement that resolved paternity claims in 1998.
On Tuesday, before Jones was due to testify, all issues were suddenly and abruptly resolved.
Two days layer, Jones conducted his annual training-camp press conference. He was asked about the litigation that delayed his trip to Oxnard, California.
“We got it resolved like I wanted,” Jones said, via Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It was unfortunate, but it is resolved. It was, of course, very sensitive with my family and very sensitive with the unique publicity that’s involved with the Cowboys. But it was resolved satisfactorily for all concerned. I won’t be commenting any more about it. But I’m certainly where I want to be.”
The resolution of all pending claims likely came with a broad and sweeping confidentiality agreement. In many cases, public comments following a confidential settlement are limited to a simple, five-word sentence: “The matter has been resolved.”
Jones might have said just a little more than he should have said. Let’s face it; he often says just a little more than he should say. At the end of the day, he stopped short of sharing any of the details about the resolution of the cases.
Our guess is that everyone walked away, with no further obligations. Alexandra Davis drops her effort to prove that Jones is her father. Jones drops his effort to recover $1.6 million in legal fees incurred in defending against the paternity claim, and the two sides agree to forever leave each other alone.