Woman refiles defamation lawsuit against Jerry Jones, associates،
A woman who claims to be the daughter of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones filed a defamation suit Tuesday against the billionaire and his two associates, alleging they hatched a plan to frame her as “extortion.”
Federal Judge Robert W. Schroeder III last month dismissed much of the defamation lawsuit filed by Alexandra Davis, a 26-year-old congressional aide, against Jones, her longtime personal attorney, Donald P. Jack, and Jim Wilkinson, communications consultant for the party. Jones family.
Davis initially sued Jones in March 2022 seeking recognition as his biological daughter. His defamation complaint last March accused Jones and his representatives of waging a public campaign that attacked his character “based on false statements and accusations.”
In his 36-page order, Schroeder said he determined that some of the alleged defamatory statements about Davis, published in two ESPN articles about the case, were either true or “not defamatory.” It also ruled that Davis was considered a “limited public figure” and as such failed to make a valid claim of actual malice, a requirement of defamation law.
However, the judge gave Davis’ lawyers the opportunity to refile their complaint regarding comments that appeared in one of two ESPN articles, published on March 31, 2022. This new complaint alleges that Wilkinson and Jack falsely accused Davis “of being an extortionist and portrayed the plaintiff.” as an attempt to “shake up” Defendant Jones. »
“Throughout their smear campaign against Plaintiff, Defendants either knew their statements were false or knew enough facts that they should have had serious doubts as to the truth of their defamatory statements,” alleges. the new complaint.
Wilkinson said Jones had no comment after the defamation suit was dismissed last month, and Wilkinson declined to comment. Jack, of Little Rock, Arkansas, could not be contacted.
The latest filing alleges that the defendants also “worked closely with” ESPN reporter Don Van Natta Jr., who wrote stories about the case. The complaint says the defendants also worked with other media outlets “to ensure that all media outlets reported the statements Defendant Wilkinson made to Van Natta.”
Several ESPN articles on the paternity allegations included comments from representatives of Jones and Davis, including repeated statements from Davis’ attorneys, Andrew A. Bergman and Jay K. Gray, denying that the woman was part of any effort to to exploit the owner of the Cowboys.
The new claim also states that Jones and his associates attempted to link Davis to a “‘conspiracy’ with others allegedly attempting to extort money from the Jones family,” including four Cowboys cheerleaders of Dallas, to whom Jones paid a secret settlement of $2.4 million after a senior team. The executive was accused of filming them undressing in their locker room in 2015.
Executive Richard Dalrymple called the allegations false in a statement but retired in February 2022, just before ESPN reported on the Cowboys’ secret settlement. The report, written by Van Natta, was followed a few weeks later by Davis’s first claims against Jones.
Davis’ new complaint is the latest development in a rancorous dispute that has played out in the courts and in the media over the alleged motivations for her decision to ask a court last year to be recognized as the daughter of Jones. In her lawsuit seeking to establish paternity, Davis asked to be released from the confidentiality agreement her mother agreed to when she was a baby. Last December, the court ordered Jones to submit to a paternity test which was delayed.
