DALLAS — A day after hearings in the Charlotte Jones-Anderson and David "Shy" Anderson divorce proceedings, a trial formally commenced Tuesday morning in Downtown Dallas at the 301st Judicial District Court, with Judge Mary Brown presiding.
Jones-Anderson, daughter of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, filed for divorce from Anderson in June 2019, eight months after Anderson ceased employment with the Cowboys organization.
Anderson and Jones-Anderson married in 1991 and have three children.
Anderson signed a premarital agreement, but as he said under oath on Tuesday, he does not agree with the court's interpretation of the 31-year-old agreement he'd once willingly accepted.
The crux of the case is this: There's a disagreement between both parties over how much of the former couple's community property – valued at $1.34 billion according to Anderson's testimony – should go to Anderson.
The Cowboys are the most valuable sports team in the world, worth more than $6.5 billion.
Divorce trials such as this one are, in general, quite rare. Many Texas law offices estimate that fewer less than 10 percent of divorces end up going to trial, while the rest settle out of court.
On Tuesday, both parties had a team of attorneys present for testimonies from both Jones-Anderson and Anderson, but the action itself was minimal and fast, with Judge Brown recessing the proceedings before lunchtime.
A ruling was made shortly after behind closed doors, and the terms have not been disclosed.
Next up, attorneys for each party have 30 days to draft a final order in accordance with the judge's ruling. Once the final order is submitted and signed, the divorce will be final, and Jones-Anderson and Anderson will no longer be married under the law.
