Defamation Lawsuit Against Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Dismissed
A woman claiming to be the biological daughter of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had her defamation suit against the 81-year-old dismissed on Wednesday, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The woman, Alexandra Davis, filed two defamation lawsuits against Jones after declaring that the executive's legal team framed her as an extortionist.
Davis' story accused the Cowboys' owner of being her presumed father after he met Davis' mother in the '90s.
OXNARD, Calif. - Owner and President of the Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones is seen during training camp at River Ridge Fields on August 08, 2022. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
Davis spoke out about Jones being her biological father, adding that he paid Davis' mother, Cynthia, $375,000 and set up two trust funds to conceal the relationship stemming from the 1990s. Jones met Cynthia at an American Airlines ticket counter in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In 2022, Davis took a major legal swing at Jones after discovering that Jones and her mother reached a settlement where Jones allegedly agreed to support the family with ‘hush money.' She filed a separate defamation lawsuit in 2023.
"Rather than acknowledging his child, or even taking the opportunity to get to know his child, my father and his associates have publicly smeared my reputation and intentions," Davis said in a statement last year.
She added, "I have been falsely accused of a 'shakedown' and 'extortion.' In reality, I am a daughter who simply wants to acknowledge her father without fear of retribution. I will not stand by and let my father's actions or words define me or my future."
According to Federal Judge Robert W. Schroeder III, Jones' legal team provided salient arguments that Davis only sought to squeeze Jones for money, reaching out to the owner since 2017, demanding he acknowledge Davis as his daughter and pay for it. The judge noted that Davis "requested money from Jones in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021."
Jerry Jones, right.
The judge announced on Wednesday: "Based on these facts alone, or viewed in combination with all the communications within their possession, it is not plausible that Defendants acted with actual malice in characterizing Plaintiff's actions as a 'shakedown attempt' that was motivated by money."
Jones' attorney, Donald T. Jack, previously addressed Davis' claim against his client and said that the woman demanded "Ezekiel Elliott" or "Dak Prescott" money (~$20 million) to silence her accusations.
The woman's legal team announced that they would appeal Judge Schroeder's decision.
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