For the second time, a federal judge has dismissed defamation claims brought against Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and several associates by a woman asserting to be the billionaire’s daughter.
Federal Judge Robert W. Schroeder III, on Wednesday, threw out the lawsuit filed by Alexandra Davis “with prejudice,” barring any future filings of the case. Schroeder initially dismissed the case last October, prompting Davis’ attorneys to refile it in November.
Davis, a 27-year-old congressional aide, originally initiated legal action against Jones in March 2022 to establish recognition as his biological daughter, an issue still awaiting resolution. The separate defamation suit, filed the same month, named Jones, his long-serving personal lawyer, Donald P. Jack, and Jim Wilkinson, a communications advisor for the Jones family, as defendants.
In his recent ruling, Schroeder underscored that the statements made by the defendants concerning Davis were substantially truthful, referencing communications that “clearly show that Plaintiff requested money from Jones in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021.”
“Considering these facts alone, or in conjunction with all the communications within their possession, it is implausible that Defendants acted with actual malice in characterizing Plaintiff’s actions as a ‘shakedown attempt’ motivated by financial gain,” the judge wrote in his 17-page order.
Wilkinson stated he and Jones would not comment immediately on the judge’s decision. Efforts to reach Jack were unsuccessful. Davis’ attorneys, Andrew Bergman and Jay Gray, expressed disappointment in the ruling and declared their intention to appeal.
Davis’ defamation claim last year accused Jones and his representatives of launching a public campaign attacking her character “based knowingly on false statements and accusations.” It referenced two ESPN stories by Don Van Natta Jr., alleging that remarks in the articles had portrayed her as an “extortionist” attempting to “shake down” the Jones family.
Schroeder dismissed the initial claim, finding that some of the alleged defamatory statements were either true or not legally defamatory. He also determined that Davis qualified as a “limited public figure,” thus failing to establish a valid claim of actual malice, a requirement under defamation law.
Nevertheless, the judge granted Davis’ attorneys the opportunity to refile their complaint regarding comments appearing in one of the two ESPN stories published on March 31, 2022.
Davis’ defamation lawsuit marked the latest development in a contentious dispute unfolding in courts and media over the purported motivations behind her 2022 bid to seek recognition as Jones’ daughter.
In her paternity lawsuit, Davis sought release from the confidentiality agreement her mother consented to when she was a child. A Dallas judge in February upheld a prior ruling mandating Jones to undergo a paternity test.
