Agreement halts Cowboys owner's countersuit trial against woman who says he's her father

TEXARKANA, Texas (AP) — The trial in a countersuit brought by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones against a woman who says she's his daughter and her mother abruptly ended Tuesday afternoon as Jones agreed to drop the countersuit if the women dismissed pending lawsuits against him, including one where the billionaire was ordered to take a DNA test, according to media reports.

The announcement in the courtroom in Texarkana, Texas, located about 180 miles (289 kilometers) east of Dallas, came on the second day of the trial, which had focused on whether Alexandra Davis, 27 and her mother, Cynthia Davis, had breached a 1998 agreement that barred them from suing to establish paternity, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Jones, 81, filed the countersuit after a judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought against him by Alexandra Davis. The married owner of the Cowboys has denied he's her father.

In 2022, Davis sued Jones in Dallas County, asking a judge to void a legal agreement she said her mother reached with Jones two years after she was born. The 1998 settlement allegedly said Jones would support them financially as long as they didn’t publicly say he was Davis' father. Davis dropped that case a month later and instead filed the paternity case in which earlier this year the judge ordered Jones to take a DNA test.

As part of Tuesday’s agreement, the 1998 settlement will remain in effect.

Cynthia Davis had testified Monday that she and Jones met when she was working for American Airlines out of Little Rock, Arkansas, and they began a romantic relationship. She testified that she began to regret agreeing to the terms of the 1998 agreement, adding that while it was good for her financially, it didn't account for her daughter’s desire to have a relationship with her father.

Jones thanked the jury for their time after the agreement was announced, and said the defendants “were well-meaning.” He also noted that he appreciated working mothers like Cynthia Davis. He and Cynthia Davis had embraced on the first day of the trial after she became tearful during testimony.

Television station WFAA reported that Jones said outside the courthouse that he was happy there was a resolution. The Davis' attorney, Jay Gray, said he was surprised at the outcome, but that everybody was happy.