Jerry Jones is set to go to trial after a Dallas County judge refused to throw out a civil sexual assault lawsuit against the Dallas Cowboys owner.
That ruling marks a turning point after years of legal maneuvering, delays, and public speculation.
In a hearing held Thursday, Judge Aiesha Redmond declined Jones‘s motion for summary judgment, concluding that factual disputes remain that must be addressed by a jury.
The plaintiff, a woman from South Carolina, claims that in 2018, during a private event at AT&T Stadium following a Cowboys game, Jones forcibly kissed and groped her without consent. The suit was originally filed in September 2020.
If all goes as currently scheduled, the case is slated for jury trial on July 20, 2026.
Why summary judgment failed, and how this case differs from others
Jones‘s attorneys, Levi McCathern and Ty Sheaks, had argued that the plaintiff’s evidence was legally insufficient, essentially that no reasonable jury could side with her.
McCathern introduced photographs from the night in question showing the plaintiff and her grandson smiling in the company of Jones and former Cowboys player Jaylon Smith.
The metadata, he maintained, showed the photos were taken about two and a half minutes apart; based on that timeline, he contended the alleged sequence of assault claimed by the plaintiff was implausible.
McCathern also challenged witness testimony, including affidavits from security personnel and statements from former Cowboys figures such as Jason Garrett and Ezekiel Elliott, all of whom claimed not to have observed any inappropriate conduct.
He described the plaintiff’s narrative as internally inconsistent and criticized what he labeled hearsay within hearsay from a so-called “disinterested” witness with ties to a Cowboys women’s group.
In response, the plaintiff’s lead counsel, Antwone Cobbin, emphasized that the presence of contradictory testimony is precisely why summary judgment was inappropriate.
While some witnesses denied seeing the assault, others claimed they witnessed surrounding “commotion”, gasps, movement, and Jones being hurried from the room.
Crucially, Cobbin noted that several of the negative witnesses were employed by Jones. He also flagged the plaintiff’s grandson as a firsthand witness to the alleged assault.
“Once the jury sees the evidence, we believe they will find Mr. Jones sexually assaulted [the plaintiff],” Cobbin told the court.
Judge Redmond reviewed those arguments and decided that the record was too contested for summary resolution. She denied Jones’s motion, sending the matter forward.
Following the hearing, McCathern responded forcefully, calling the case “an absolute hogwash case” and asserting, “Jerry didn’t do anything wrong.”
Meanwhile, the plaintiff’s legal team criticized Jones’s tactics of delay. Thomas Bowers, another attorney for the plaintiff, accused the defense of dragging out the litigation in hopes the accuser would abandon the suit.
Bowers asserted that he and his team “have an avalanche of evidence,” and that “justice will prevail at the end of the day.”
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