Lawyers for the 25-year-old Congressional aide who is suing Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones released a statement Thursday saying their client isn’t motivated by money but instead wants a judge to toss out an agreement “that attempts to prohibit her from stating who her real father is.”
The woman, Alexandra Davis, who lives in Washington D.C., was not motivated by “fame or fortune” when she filed her lawsuit on March 3 against Jones, alleging the billionaire is her biological father, her lawyers said in the statement.
“Ms. Davis’ lawsuit does not seek the recovery of money,” wrote Davis’ lawyers, Andrew A. Bergman and Jay K. Gray, of Dallas, in a statement released to ESPN. “Ms. Davis’ lawsuit seeks only to have a Court declare that she is not bound to an agreement entered into that attempts to prohibit her from stating who her real father is. Surely, anyone can understand this need of a child no matter what age to have the ability to say they have a father without the fear of reprisal.”
The complaint says that Davis “has lived her life fatherless and in secret and in fear that if she should tell anyone who her father was, she and her mother would lose financial support, or worse.” Jones is alleged to have paid $375,000 to Davis’ mother, Cynthia Davis Spencer, who the lawsuit says was courted by the Cowboys owner in 1995 when she was working at the American Airlines ticket counter in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Davis, who now works as an aide to U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, has declined to comment to ESPN and other media outlets since the lawsuit became public Wednesday evening. Her lawyers explained in their statement that their client’s lawsuit was filed against Jones “only after Ms. Davis’ numerous attempts to address this matter in private were ignored” by Jones and his lawyers.
Bergman declined to answer questions beyond the statement. Jim Wilkinson, a spokesman for Jones, also declined to comment and said Jones would have no comment on the lawsuit.
The complaint alleges that when Davis was one years old, her mother signed an agreement with Jones’ friend and lawyer, Donald Jack, accepting the $375,000 payoff. But two trusts that have paid an undisclosed amount to Davis and her mother, and remain in effect, have resulted in Davis “never having a legal father,” the lawsuit says.
“To add incredible insult to injury, Plaintiff has had to spend her entire life hiding and concealing who her real father is. Defendant Jones’ only role in Plaintiff’s life to date other than to shun her, has been to coerce her from ever disclosing his identity.”
The complaint also says that Charlotte Jones Anderson, a Cowboys senior executive and Jones’ daughter, is currently engaged in a divorce with her husband, Shy Anderson. The lawsuit says that Davis Spencer was recently subpoenaed for a deposition in the divorce proceedings, which are described in the suit as “protracted and contentious.” The lawsuit alleges that after Davis Spencer was subpoenaed to testify in a deposition connected to the divorce, she was contacted “by at least one person” associated with Jerry Jones.
“This person informed Cynthia that Defendant Jones would be very displeased if she testified at her deposition and disclosed that he was Plantiff’s father. Cynthia was told that Defendant Jones could, and perhaps would, terminate the trusts, which currently still stand to benefit Plantiffs with two lump sum payments owing to Plaintiff when she turns 2 and 28, if Cynthia testified to the fact that Defendant Jones is Plaintiff’s father.”
The lawsuit was posted on the Dallas County courts’ website Monday and thus available to members of the public, including hundreds of Texas lawyers. The team discovered the lawsuit’s filing late Monday.
In their statement, the lawyers for Davis said “at the request of Mr. Jones, Ms. Davis agreed to have the court records temporarily sealed to avoid publicity. Ms. Davis was hopeful during this time the lawsuit could be resolved without publicity. However, between the time the lawsuit was filed and the Court records were sealed, the lawsuit was discovered.”
It is not known whether lawyers for Davis and lawyers for Jones have entered into discussions on whether to settle the case. On March 31, a hearing will be held on whether the court records will remain sealed to the public.