Former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is contesting a lawsuit stemming from a 2023 California traffic accident. She argues that plaintiffs never properly served her with legal documents.
The dispute hinges on whether DeGeneres legally received case notice. The lawsuit claims she caused a car crash that injured the plaintiff.
Court documents from January 21 show DeGeneres’ legal team asserts that the summons and complaint never reached her home or usual place of business.
Plaintiffs left documents at Neuman + Associates’ reception desk on December 23, 2025. DeGeneres’ lawyers argue that this office does not qualify as her residence or regular workplace, and that she was absent during the drop-off.
The plaintiff claims that a process server also attempted service on NKSFB, LLC on January 6 and 7, leaving papers with an employee or security guard. Neuman + Associates operates as a division of NKSFB.
Ellen DeGeneres is fighting back against a woman who sued her over a 2023 California car crash, claiming she was never served with the legal documents despite the alleged victim saying otherwise. https://t.co/qOr3opECq8
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) January 27, 2026DeGeneres’ filing rejects this as valid service. She argues that there was no reason to expect her presence and that a security guard in a multi-story building cannot manage a separate office on another floor.
Harley Neuman, head of Neuman + Associates and Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund board member, supports her position in a declaration. He confirms the documents arrived, but DeGeneres was absent, with no interaction with the process server, no explanation, and no signed receipt. He also notes that no mailed copy arrived.
Read: Ellen DeGeneres Faces Lawsuit Over 2023 Car Accident in California
The plaintiff filed the lawsuit in September 2025. She alleges DeGeneres ran a stop sign and hit her Tesla in Santa Barbara County in October 2023, causing negligence-based injuries. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
DeGeneres, who turned 68 on January 26, lives in the United Kingdom with wife, Portia de Rossi, after their 2024 relocation. The next hearing is on April 30.
