Lawyers for woman suing Jerry Jones say paternity lawsuit isn’t about ‘fame or fortune’
The 25-year-old congressional aide who is suing Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, claiming he is her biological father, is not looking for money, according to a statement from her attorneys to ESPN.
Alexandra Davis, who grew up in North Texas and is a graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, alleges in the lawsuit that her mother, Cynthia Davis, had a relationship with Jones in the mid-90s, leading to her birth. Cynthia Davis reached a financial settlement with Jones to support her and her child as long as they didn’t publicly identify Jones as the father, the Dallas Morning News reported. In the suit, obtained by the Morning News, Alexandra Davis is asking for the court to find she isn’t legally bound by that agreement, if she can prove that he is actually her father.
“Fame or fortune” were not Alexandra Davis’ motivations when she filed the lawsuit against Jones, according to the statement from her attorneys to ESPN. She just wants the court to say she is not bound by the agreement signed by her mother shortly after her birth, her lawyers said.
The lawsuit was sealed Wednesday before the Star-Telegram could retrieve a copy. Andrew Bergman and Jay K. Gray, the attorneys for Alexandra Davis, have not responded to Star-Telegram requests for comment, nor have Alexandra Davis, Cynthia Davis or attorneys for Jones.
In the agreement, Cynthia Davis agreed to keep the identity of Alexandra Davis’ biological father a secret in exchange for financial support from Jones, the lawsuit alleges. Cynthia Davis signed the agreement stating that the financial support would end and she would be sued by Jones and his attorney at the time, Donald Jack, if either she or Alexandra Davis ever disclosed the identity of her biological father.
“Surely, anyone can understand this need of a child no matter what age to have the ability to say they have a father without the fear of reprisal,” Bergman and Gray told ESPN in the joint statement.
The Dallas Morning News reported Alexandra Davis has concealed her father’s identity her whole life except for an admission to the FBI to obtain security clearance to work in the Trump White House, and that Jones will “shun” and “coerce her from ever disclosing his identity,” according to the suit.
“To add incredible insult to injury, Plaintiff has had to spend her entire life hiding and concealing who her real father is,” the lawsuit says, according to ESPN.
Jones, who is 79, has owned the Dallas Cowboys since 1989, when he bought the franchise for $140 million. While the Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1996, Forbes lists the team as the most valuable in the world at $5.7 billion, up 43% in the last five years.
In 2012, Cynthia and Alexandra Davis were stars in the final season of “Big Rich Texas,” a Style Network reality show following five wealthy women and their daughters in the Metroplex. At that time, Cynthia Davis’ representatives said she was living off a trust fund.
Alexandra Davis is a graduate of Southern Methodist University who grew up in the Dallas area. She works as an aide for U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Jones has been in contact with Cynthia Davis but has never met Alexandra Davis, according to the suit.
According to court documents, Cynthia Davis was estranged from her husband when she met Jones while working as a ticket counter agent for American Airlines in Little Rock, Arkansas, the Dallas Morning News reported. Jones “pursued” a relationship with Cynthia Davis, the length of which is not clear, according to court documents.
The Dallas Morning News reported Alexandra Davis, who was born Dec. 16, 1996, was determined by a genetic test during divorce proceedings not to be the child of her mother’s then-husband, who was not ordered to pay child support in the finalized divorce. According to the court, Alexandra Davis did not have a legal father.
After receiving the paternity test, Cynthia Davis told Jones he was the father, the suit says. Jones, who has been married since 1963, told her he was unable to have children and his lawyers negotiated a financial settlement to “exchange money for silence,” according to the lawsuit.
At the time of the settlement in 1998, Jones denied he was the father, according to court documents.
Cynthia Davis was given about $27,000 to help with the divorce and another $30,000 “in good faith,” according to the suit.
Court documents said Jones agreed to pay a lump sum of $375,000 for confidentiality and set up two trusts funded by Jones for Alexandra Davis, the Dallas Morning News reported. Alexandra Davis would receive “certain monthly, annual and special funding” from the trusts until she turned 21, after which she would receive annual lump sums at 24, 26 and 28 years old, according to court documents. The trust was under Jack’s name, a measure the lawsuit claims was taken to hide Jones’ identity. Jones also barred Alexandra Davis, at the time 1 year old, from ever seeking to legally establish paternity, according to the lawsuit.
