The legal fight surrounding a sexual assault lawsuit against Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is now turning on the judge herself. The woman who says Jones kissed and forcibly grabbed her at a private AT&T Stadium event is asking that Judge Aiesha Redmond be removed before the case moves any closer to trial.
Her attorneys filed a recusal motion alleging that Redmond favored Jones and that the judge’s court coordinator gave the plaintiff unusual access to courtroom technology and scheduling information, according to the Dallas Morning News. The motion says the coordinator contacted the woman about a hearing and a postponement instead of communicating through her attorneys, and offered to help connect her audio and video equipment to the courtroom system.
The lawsuit is pending in Dallas County’s 160th District Court, where Redmond presides, according to the Dallas County court. The woman is seeking more than $1 million in damages, while the recusal filing says trial dates have been postponed repeatedly.
The Judge’s Earlier Ruling Is Already Part Of The Dispute
Redmond granted a defense motion to dismiss the civil case in February 2022. A state appellate court later reinstated the lawsuit, and the Texas Supreme Court declined to halt the case, clearing the way for the allegations to be considered by a jury, as previously reported by the Dallas Morning News.
The woman’s lawsuit alleges that Jones kissed her on the mouth and forcibly grabbed her without consent during a private event at AT&T Stadium in 2018. Jones has denied the allegations and has described them as malicious and hurtful, according to the Dallas News report.
Former Appellate Judge To Hear Recusal Request
Former state appellate judge Erin Nowell is scheduled to preside over the recusal hearing next Thursday. The proceeding will address whether Redmond should remain on the case, not whether the underlying assault allegations are true.
If Nowell grants the request, the case would be reassigned to another judge. If the motion is denied, Redmond would continue overseeing a lawsuit that has already survived dismissal, appellate review and repeated scheduling delays.
Jones’ legal team has continued to argue that the encounter described by the plaintiff did not happen, while the woman’s lawyers maintain that the evidence should be decided by a jury. A Dallas County judge allowed the case to proceed toward trial last year after denying Jones’ request for summary judgment, according to the Dallas Morning News.
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