How many lawsuits does Jerry Jones have? Everything on cases against Cowboys owner

Jerry Jones has turned his $140 million initial investment in the Dallas Cowboys into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Apart from having the richest NFL team in terms of valuation, the Cowboys also operate the AT&T Stadium, which they loan out for other major events.

While he has been wildly successful in business, it’s not all roses for the man with a $13.7 billion net worth as of 2024. He has had his fair share of controversies, especially lawsuits. As of Mar. 15, one of the three lawsuits he’s facing has been dismissed.

Here are the essential details on the three cases Jones is facing.

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Jerry Jones accused of sexual assault

According to The Dallas Morning News’ Lana Ferguson and Jamie Sanders, an unnamed woman filed a personal injury lawsuit in a Dallas County court in Sept. 2020.

The court documents say that Jerry Jones allegedly kissed a woman and grabbed her without consent at the AT&T Stadium’s Tom Landry Room on Sept. 16, 2018.

While the suit was initially dismissed in Feb. 2022, a state appellate court re-opened the case by reversing the previous decision in Feb. 2023. The Texas Supreme Court agreed with the appellate, allowing a trial by jury to ensue.

The trial was originally slated for Mar. 18, but Jones’ legal team requested that the proceedings be delayed until next year for “formal discovery.” The judge handling this case agreed, delaying the trial to Mar. 2025.

In an affidavit, the Dallas Cowboys owner denied the sexual assault charges or even meeting the woman accusing him. Jones identified the accusations as “categorically false.”

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Jerry Jones escapes paternity lawsuit

The Dallas Morning News’ Nataly Keomoungkhoun wrote in a Mar. 9, 2022, article that congressional aide Alexandra Davis filed a lawsuit stating that an affair between her mother and Jerry Jones in the mid-1990s led to her conception.

Court documents revealed that Jones and Cynthia Davis, Alexandra’s mother, reached a financial support settlement as long as they didn’t publicly identify Jones as her father.

Jones asked for the lawsuit’s dismissal because it was allegedly the Davises’ way of extorting him with money. Meanwhile, a lawyer who made payments to the Davises on Jones’ behalf claimed that the Davises demanded an additional $20 million years ago.

Alexandra Davis dropped the original lawsuit in Apr. 2022. Instead, she filed a paternity suit to establish Jones as her legal parent through DNA testing. Jones requested the paternity suit’s dismissal but to no avail.

In Oct. 2022, Davis’ lawyers filed a motion to subject Jones to DNA testing. A judge agreed, requiring Jones to take the test in December of that year. Jones hasn’t participated in a paternity test, leading the court to uphold their decision to require Jones to undergo a paternity test, as of February 2024.

The case will undergo a hearing for dismissal for want of prosecution on May 31. The court can dismiss the case if no developments occur. If the judge votes for the dismissal, Davis can file a motion to reinstate the case after the original suit’s dismissal.

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Defamation lawsuit against Jerry Jones dismissed

In relation to the paternity suit Davis filed against Jones, the former congressional aide filed a defamation lawsuit against the multi-billionaire on Mar. 27, 2023. Davis filed this lawsuit because Jones’ camp was allegedly conducting a character assassination attack to discredit her.

On Oct. 31, 2023, the court dismissed portions of the lawsuit but allowed Davis’ camp to amend and refile the case. A judge dismissed the case with prejudice on Mar. 14, 2023. Davis’ legal team is disappointed with the ruling and plans to appeal.