The divorce of Dallas Cowboys executive Charlotte Jones and her estranged husband David “Shy” Anderson is closer to being finalized after a state district judge issued a ruling following one and a half hours of testimony in a Dallas County courtroom.
Both Jones and Anderson and their lawyers left the courthouse after testimony revealed that they wished to be granted a divorce and needed a decision from the court on how to divide retirement funds. State District Judge Mary Brown later made a ruling in the case, but it’s unclear what she decided because court documents for the divorce are sealed. Neither side has commented on the case.
Attorneys have 30 days to draft a final order in accordance with the judge’s ruling. It is uncertain how soon after that the divorce could become final.
Jones is the daughter of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jones and Anderson’s divorce was thrust into the spotlight after a recent lawsuit briefly mentioned the proceedings. The lawsuit, filed by 25-year-old Alexandra Davis in March, claimed that Jerry Jones is Davis’ biological father.
Davis’ lawsuit was not mentioned Tuesday during the trial or during Monday’s pretrial hearing.
According to their testimonies, Jones filed for divorce in 2019 citing insupportability or irreconcilable differences. Jones and Anderson signed a premarital agreement before they married in 1991.
Anderson told the court he stopped working with the Dallas Cowboys in October 2018.
Charlotte Jones is the Cowboys’ executive vice president and chief brand officer. She oversees the organization’s philanthropic outreach and had a key role in the design aesthetic and décor at AT&T Stadium. She is also president of the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Anderson testified that, throughout their nearly 31 years of marriage, Anderson and Jones amassed about $1.34 billion in assets together. Anderson said he would appeal a previous ruling on the interpretation of the premarital agreement that would decide how much of the assets should belong to him. It is unclear when he would file that appeal.
The lawsuit from Davis, an aide to Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson, is just one of several woes affecting the Jones family and the Dallas Cowboys during the offseason.
According to the lawsuit, Davis’ mother was subpoenaed to give a deposition in the divorce proceedings and she was contacted by at least one person associated with Jerry Jones regarding that testimony. At the end of March, Jones’ lawyers argued in a court filing that Davis’ lawsuit was one of many “monetary extortion attempts” targeting Jones and the Dallas Cowboys.
Davis’ lawyers deny the allegations. Jones has asked a court to toss the lawsuit.
Another possible link to the lawsuit and the divorce is a letter from one of Jerry Jones’ lawyers advising Anderson to save evidence and documentation, including communication with Davis and her mother, “all efforts to obtain monies from Mr. Jones directly or indirectly” and “all efforts to obtain information you and/or your counsel consider embarrassing to Mr. Jones.”
The letter asks for documentation “to determine whether a conspiracy exists among yourself and others including, without limitation, certain of your lawyers.”
One of Davis’ lawyers also represented a woman identified as Jane Doe in a 2019 lawsuit involving Jerry Jones Jr., who is also a Cowboys executive, and a sexually explicit video. Jane Doe, who also appeared in the video, sued Jones Jr., his wife, Jones and Anderson after she, family and friends received copies of still images from the video. Anderson was removed as a defendant in the lawsuit, court records show, before the lawsuit was dismissed. A settlement was ultimately reached.
Davis’ lawyers have repeatedly denied a connection to Anderson and said Davis, who works for Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson, has never met Anderson. A spokesman for the Jones family previously said the recent news of lawsuits and accusations are a public attack against the family.
Another recent development was that a multimillion-dollar settlement the Cowboys reached more than five years ago came to light in February after being first reported by ESPN.
The Dallas Cowboys paid $2.4 million after four team cheerleaders alleged Rich Dalrymple, the franchise’s longtime public relations chief who retired Feb. 2, filmed them as they changed clothes inside a locker room on Sept. 2, 2015.
