Who are Cynthia and Alexandra Davis, mother and daughter in Jerry Jones paternity lawsuit?
On March 3, a 25-year-old congressional aide from North Texas filed a lawsuit saying Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is her father.
But who exactly are Jones’ alleged daughter Alexandra Davis, and her mother, Cynthia Davis?
Who is Cynthia Davis and how did she meet Jones?
Realtor Cynthia Davis, 60, met Jones in 1995 while she was working at the American Airlines ticket counter at the Little Rock, Arkansas airport, according to the lawsuit obtained by the Dallas Morning News. At the time of their courtship, Cynthia had been estranged from her husband, court documents say.
According to the lawsuit, Alexandra was conceived out of wedlock in 1996.
“I am a dedicated new home sales professional, an American Patriot, and the mother of an amazing daughter who works in the political arena in D.C.,” Cynthia says about herself in her now-deactivated Twitter profile.
In 2012, Cynthia and her daughter starred in the third season of ”Big Rich Texas,” a reality show on the Style Network that followed five wealthy mother-daughter duos in Dallas-Fort Worth high society. “Living off a trust fund, spending her day shopping and drinking wine at night is Cindy’s favorite thing to do. She is known as the no-holds-barred, life-of-the-party socialite who tends to speak without worrying what anyone thinks,” the Dallas Morning News reported at the time.
“Everyone was pretty nice and welcoming,” Cynthia told women’s news website SheKnows in 2012. “I was afraid, of course, because I didn’t know what to expect. I had watched the show before, but didn’t know how much is real. You don’t know going into it who is going to stab you in the back and who is going to be a true friend. I was kind of surprised, because the people I didn’t think I would get along with I ended up being close to. I have pretty good relationships with all the girls on the show — well, at least I think I do.”
“Going into the show, I thought it would be a great opportunity for Alex and I to do something together and spend a lot of time together,” she said, according to SheKnows. “But with the hours and the different shooting schedules — there were many times when we were not together a whole lot. We have gone through a lot of growing pains. We definitely got at each other during the filming, which you’ll see. We are fine now, but just the hours and the schedule — it gets to you.”
Both Cynthia and Alexandra currently live in Frisco, according to public records. Jones has provided financial support to them since Alexandra’s birth, with an agreement not to publicly identify him as her father, according to court documents. Jones has been in contact with Cynthia, the lawsuit says.
Cynthia’s net worth has been estimated to be more than $1 million.
Who is Alexandra Davis, Jerry Jones’ alleged daughter?
Alexandra, born Dec. 16, 1996, in Little Rock, graduated with a social sciences degree from Southern Methodist University. She campaigned for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and interned for former Republican U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry in 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She then worked in President Donald Trump’s White House in the Office of Presidential Correspondence from October 2019 through December 2020 as an associate director of digital response, the director of digital response and a deputy associate director. According to the lawsuit, Alexandra only disclosed Jones as her father for FBI security clearance to work in the Trump White House.
Since January 2021, Alexandra has been a legislative aide and press assistant for Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Amarillo, TX-13).
Cynthia filed for divorce shortly after Alexandra was born. The results of a DNA test during divorce proceedings showed that Cynthia’s then-husband was not Alexandra’s father, according to the Dallas Morning News, after which Cynthia told Jones he was her father.
Jones told Cynthia he was unable to have children and negotiated a financial settlement to “exchange money for silence” in 1998, the suit says. He paid Cynthia $375,000 for confidentiality and set up two trust funds for Alexandra, according to court documents. Cynthia was given about $27,000 to help with the divorce and another $30,000 “in good faith,” according to the suit.
Jones denied he was Alexandra’s father at the time of the settlement, and said that he would sue if it was publicly disclosed, documents say. Jones also barred Alexandra from seeking to legally establish paternity, according to court records.
Alexandra is asking the court to be released from the confidentiality agreement that her mother signed after she was born and to be recognized as Jones’ daughter. In the lawsuit, she mentions health concerns for her mother and that she has feared losing financial support from Jones if she ever told anybody he was her father.
She hired Dallas attorney Andrew Bergman of Bergman Gray LLP to represent her in the case.
According to court documents, Alexandra has never met her father.
Why is this lawsuit coming out now?
Alexandra Davis filed her lawsuit against the Cowboys owner last Thursday in Dallas County.
The 25-year-old “has spent her life concealing her father’s identity, and (said in the lawsuit) that Jones’ only role in her life is to ‘shun’ her and ‘coerce her from ever disclosing his identity,’” reported the Dallas Morning News, which obtained files connected to the lawsuit prior to it being temporarily sealed.
It’s unclear why the lawsuit was filed now, but the Dallas Morning News reported the lawsuit mentioned Alexandra’s mother’s health.
Court documents say that the case has been sealed to the public due to Jones’ notoriety, and that “sensitive issues … could damage Mr. Jones’ reputation.”
“[Davis] doesn’t want to be sued or lose her financial trusts. She is also seeking declaration from the court that such settlement agreements should be ‘unenforceable’ in Texas,” the Dallas Morning News reported.
According to the lawsuit, the only time Davis revealed to anyone that Jones was her biological father was to the FBI when she was obtaining security clearance to work in the White House.
What’s going to happen next?
With the original petition sealed, it’s unclear what information will come out immediately.
“The private matters of Mr. Jones and Ms. Davis do not impact the public’s general health or safety, and the public will not benefit from the openness of the information in this case,” court documents read.
A hearing on whether the case will continue to remain sealed is scheduled for March 31, at 1 p.m. in 192nd District Court.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 12:55 PM.
