COWBOYS

Why did Jerry Jones drop the lawsuit against Alexandra Davis?

After an emotional first day of trial against a woman claiming to be Jerry Jones’ daughter, the case ended abruptly as the Cowboys owner dropped the charges.

Corey SipkinAP

The trial between Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the woman claiming to be his daughter and her mother abruptly ended on Tuesday afternoon. Jones agreed to drop the charges in his countersuit against them, if they would drop the pending lawsuits they had against him, which included one in which he was ordered to take a paternity test.

Originally, Alexandra Davis had filed a lawsuit against Jones, claiming the billionaire was her father. His attorneys claimed Davis was attempting financial extortion and so she sued him for defamation. That lawsuit was dismissed, but Jones was ordered to take a DNA test. That was put on hold when Jones countersued Davis and her mother, Cynthia, for breaking a contract they’d agreed to in 1998, which stated they would stay quiet about his paternity and not bring a paternity lawsuit against him in the future in exchange for substantial amounts of money from Jones throughout Davis’ life.

Why did Jones decide to drop the lawsuit against Davis?

The countersuit trial began on Monday and it was an extremely emotional day. Cynthia broke down in tears multiple times and the judge even called a recess at one point when she was too emotional to go on. Jones gave her a hug during the break, but Alexandra did not join in on the moment.

Jones has continuously denied being Alexandra’s father. During Cynthia’s testimony, she explained that she and Jones, who was married at the time (and still is), met when she was working for American Airlines in Arkansas and they began an affair. She also said that though she signed the agreement, she later regretted having done so, as it did not give her daughter a chance to have a relationship with her father.

The trial, held in a courtroom in Texarkana, Texas, was meant to be a discussion about whether or not the Davises had breached the 1998 settlement agreement. Since all involved have agreed to drop the lawsuits against each other, the 1998 settlement agreement remains in place and Jones will not have to take a paternity test.

Jones said the Davises “were well-meaning” and that he appreciates working mothers like Cynthia. He told reporters outside the courthouse that he was happy the situation had been resolved and the Davis’ attorney agreed that everyone was happy with the outcome, albeit an unexpected one.

The Dallas Cowboys arrived at training camp today with their first open practice happening tomorrow morning. Originally, the annual press conference was meant to start tonight upon the Cowboys’ arrival in Oxnard, California, but as Jones was on trial in Texas, which was expected to last around four or five days, the conference was postponed to Saturday.

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