Dallas District Judge Dale Tillery denied Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' request to seal court documents related to a lawsuit brought by an Oklahoma woman. Jana Weckerly claims that Jones sexually assaulted her in 2009 before the Cowboys covered it up.
In addition to denying the request to keep documents stemming from the suit under wraps, the judge issued a gag order for all parties involved in the case and said he would expedite the suit.
Weckerly is asking for damages of more than $1 million. Documents filed in court Wednesday include series of emails between her attorney, Thomas Bowers, and Levi McCathern, who represents Jones and the Cowboys. On September 5, Bowers emailed McCathern a copy of the coming lawsuit and expressed a willingness to talk with McCathern. McCathern, as Jones did today, denied the allegations. He also said that the statute of limitation on any civil action expired earlier in 2014.
Nevertheless, Luis Bartolomei, an attorney at McCathern's firm, agreed to meet with Bowers Tuesday afternoon. At that meeting, Bartolomei says, Bowers claimed that Jones "penetrated" his client but failed to offer any proof. Bartolomei left the meeting after receiving a text saying that Weckerly's lawsuit had already been filed the night before.
