Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones must take a paternity test, according to a ruling handed down Wednesday, ESPN reported.
It’s the latest development in the ongoing legal dispute between the billionaire owner and 27-year-old Alexandra Davis, who claims to be his biological daughter.
In 1998, an alleged agreement was made between her mother, Cynthia Davis, and the Cowboys owner, that said Jones would financially support the family as long as he was never identified as the father. Jones denies the allegations.
Alexandra Davis was attempting to have the agreement voided in court in a 2022 lawsuit, but she later dropped the case in favor of having Jones take a paternity test to prove her claim.
Judge Sandra Jackson’s Wednesday ruling was a “huge victory,” said Davis’ lawyer Kris Hayes.
“Alex is in a position where she really no longer has to hide her truth or live under the thumb of fear and maybe she’s going to finally get some peace and we hope other families will have that same benefit from the judge following the law,” the attorney stated.
The relationship between Jones and Davis’ mother allegedly occurred in the 90s, when the football powerhouse was already long married to his wife Gene and Davis’ mother was also married.
Attorneys representing the 81-year-old mogul argued that the Texas law compelling genetic testing is unconstitutional, saying Cynthia Davis’ husband at the time should be legally presumed her true father.
The 27-year-old has already received “millions of dollars” from Jones, according to his attorneys.
The original settlement reportedly required Jones to pay $375,000 to Cynthia Davis plus lump sum payments from a trust to Alexandra as she aged.
