Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been in court a lot over the last few years.
Jones has faced several lawsuits in recent years, one from a woman who claimed Jones sexually assaulted her after a Cowboys game in 2018, and another from a woman who claimed Jones is her biological father. In the paternity case, Jones also countersued the woman and her mother, alleging they violated a contract signed in the late ’90s by bringing the suit and identifying Jones as the woman’s father.
The same woman who sued him over paternity also brought a federal defamation suit.
Here’s what to know about each lawsuit, including how each case unfolded and the current status of each suit.
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Sexual assault lawsuit
Jones was sued in 2020 by a woman who alleged he sexually assaulted her at AT&T Stadium following a September 2018 Cowboys game. According to the suit, the woman was attending a post-game event at the stadium’s Tom Landry room when Jones allegedly groped her and kissed her while she was posing for a photograph with him.
The lawsuit, filed in Dallas County court, was thrown out in February 2022, but that decision was later reversed following an appeal in February 2023. The case was initially dismissed because the woman allegedly failed to comply with a special exemptions order, but an appellate court later ruled the trial court abused its discretion in dismissing the claims.
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Jones has maintained that he does not recall meeting the woman or taking a photo with her, and has denied groping her in court-filed responses and public comments.
Most recently, Jones said on his radio show 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) that he believed the woman was trying to get money she “don’t deserve.”
In addition to Jones, the lawsuit was initially filed against the Dallas Cowboys Football Club. The NFL was later added to the complaint, as the woman argued both the team and the league should have been aware of Jones’ alleged conduct. Both organizations have since been removed from the suit.
Jones’ legal team made a motion for summary judgment at a hearing in early October, which could have ended the case before a trial. At the hearing, Jones’ lawyers questioned the reliability of witnesses in the case, and said many others who were present at the event, including several Cowboys players, did not witness an assault.
However, the judge in the case ruled against Jones, allowing the case to proceed to a trial.
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Several trial dates have been set, but ultimately moved. The case is currently set for trial on July 20, 2026.
Jones was previously sued in 2014 by a woman over an alleged sexual assault in 2009, but that case was dismissed roughly a month after it was filed.
Paternity lawsuit
Jones was sued in March 2022 by Alexandra Davis, a then 25-year-old congressional aide, who alleged Jones had a relationship with her mother in the late ’90s and that he was her biological father. The suit also alleged Jones and her mother entered an agreement in which Jones would financially support Davis and her mother in exchange for the pair not identifying Jones as Davis’ father.
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Jones, 83, has been married to Eugenia Jones since 1963. He repeatedly denied being Davis’ father.
The agreement, dated 1998, barred Davis from ever attempting to establish paternity or publicly identifying Jones as her father, established a trust for Davis and set up payment arrangements over the years, which were believed to be in the range of millions of dollars.
In a court filing, Jones’ lawyers argued that Davis’ suit was one of many “extortion attempts” against Jones and the Cowboys. The suit did not seek monetary damages.
The 2022 suit, filed in Dallas County, was later dropped as Davis said in a filing she wished to proceed with DNA testing to confirm Jones is her father. Davis later sued Jones for defamation in federal court over the extortion comments. Jones then countersued Davis and her mother, Cynthia Davis, alleging that the pair breached a settlement agreement Jones reached with Cynthia Davis.
The case eventually proceeded to trial in Texarkana. On the first day, Davis’ mother, Cynthia Davis, testified that she met Jones and the two began a romantic relationship while she was working as an American Airlines ticket counter in Little Rock, Ark.
Cynthia Davis said she regretted entering the agreement with Jones, as while it was beneficial financially, it did not allow her daughter to have a relationship with her father.
The suit came to an abrupt end on the second day of the trial, when an agreement was reached between Jones and the Davises to dismiss the suit. The agreement came before Jones was set to take a DNA test.
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