Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and a woman who claims he is her biological father have reached a settlement abruptly ending proceedings at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Texarkana.
The settlement was announced to the jury around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday after Jones met with Alexandra Davis and her mother, Cynthia Davis.
"They had lunch, just the three of them. And it was resolved right after that," Charles Babcock said. Babcock represents Jones.
"I’m not going to get into details at all, but I have, always, had the proper perspective and respect for them that I should have," Jones said outside the courthouse. "Unfortunately, we got into this, but I’m glad we got it behind us.”
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Inside the courtroom, Alexandra smiled as she spoke to Jones in the hallway.
When asked about the settlement, Alexandra said, "I feel good."
Her mother walked closely behind her, smiling.
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"Everything got resolved," Cynthia said. "We're very happy about it."
When asked about her private conversation with Jones, Cynthia said, "It was great."
After a judge dismissed Alexandra Davis's defamation lawsuit against Jones, he brought the countersuit against the 27-year-old and her mother, Cynthia Davis, claiming they breached a contract that dates back more than 25 years.
Jones' attorney told the jury Monday that Alexandra Davis’s two lawsuits against Jones violated a contract signed by Cynthia Davis and Jones, that stated neither Davis could sue Jones for matters outlined in the document.
Alexandra Davis was born in 1996, but the agreement didn't come about until 1998. Jones has denied being Alexandra’s father.
According to court documents, Jones agreed to financially support them so long as they didn't identify Jones as Davis's father.
Alexandra Davis dropped a lawsuit to dismiss the contract but continued to pursue the paternity test.
In March 2024, a Dallas County judge ordered Jones to take the DNA paternity test, but Jones continued to fight the ruling.
Jones was seeking more than $1 million in attorney's fees he'd paid to defend himself.
Tuesday was the second day of testimony in the trial.
“I think Mr. Jack's testimony was so compelling that I think the parties realized that maybe they didn’t have much to fight about," Babcock said.
Don Jack was the only witness to take the stand. Jack worked with Jones for more than 50 years. Jack helped create the confidentiality agreement the civil suit centers around.
On Tuesday, Jack testified about payments Jerry Jones made to Cynthia and her child. He said payments started at more than $7,000. The last payment, Jack said, was for $10,992. By age 14, Jack told the jury Alexandra petitioned for more money.
In a phone call, Jack claimed Alexandra said, “I want to move to a different house”. Jones would agree to pay for the home valued at $125,000.
Jack claims the demands would grow to include a luxury vehicle, trips, rent, and later, a request for $20 million.
Jones' legal team told the jury Jack's testimony helped build their case to rebuttal claims made by Cynthia on Monday.
Cynthia told the jury all Alexandra wanted was 15 minutes with Jones.
Jones told his lawyers on Monday he was willing to meet with Alexandra, and that meeting happened Tuesday over lunch.
Afterward, a settlement was announced, abruptly ending the proceedings.
"I regret that it came to this, and I'm glad that it is resolved to everyone's satisfaction," Jones said outside the courthouse.
As part of the agreement, Jones will not have to take a paternity test. Alexandra Davis will dismiss all pending lawsuits against Jones with prejudice, meaning she cannot decide later to bring those claims back to court.
Alexandra's attorney, Jay Gray admitted that while they were happy with the outcome, he was surprised.
"It was a hard-fought battle," Gray said.
Cynthia's attorney, Kris Hayes also reacted to the settlement.
"We are very happy that she is happy, that Alex is happy, and we can move," Hayes said.
The 1998 agreement that the entire lawsuit was built around remains standing and continues "into the future" beyond the age of 28.
"The agreement we were fighting about will stay in place going forward,” Babcock said. “We’re kind of going back to where we were before there were lawsuits which is a great result for all the parties... There are certain aspects that expire when she turns 28, but other aspects of it stay the same."
Alexandra Davis turns 28 in December of this year.
