Ellen DeGeneres is rejecting a lawsuit related to a 2023 car accident in California, arguing that she never properly received legal documents despite claims from the woman who sued her.
The dispute centers on whether DeGeneres was legally served with the case, which accuses her of causing a traffic accident that resulted in injuries.
According to court documents dated January 21 and obtained by Us weeklyDeGeneres’ legal team claims the paperwork was not delivered to her home or personal workplace.
The filing explains that the documents were left on December 23, 2025 at the front desk of Neuman + Associates, a business management firm.
The response makes clear that the location “is not Ms. DeGeneres’s home, usual place of residence, or usual place of business,” adding that she was not there at the time.
The woman filing the lawsuit claimed that a process server also attempted to serve the documents to NKSFB, LLC on January 6 and 7, leaving them with an “employee/security guard.” Neuman + Associates is a division of NKSFB.
DeGeneres’ response strongly questions whether this counts as proper service, stating, “There was no reason to believe Ms. DeGeneres would be there, and especially not on those two random days in January.”
The filing further argues: “It should be reasonably evident to anyone, especially a process server, that a security guard in a 20-story building is not ‘in charge’ of a business on the fifth floor of that building.”
The documents also note that it would be “extremely unlikely” that the employee involved had any direct relationship with DeGeneres or would be expected to reliably deliver confidential legal documents to her.
Harley Neuman, who runs Neuman + Associates and serves on the board of directors of the Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund, also filed a statement supporting DeGeneres’ claim.
In documents dated Jan. 21, he said, “I have a business relationship through Neuman+ and am generally familiar with Ms. DeGeneres’ business operations and personal life situation.”
While acknowledging that documents were left at the office, Neuman said DeGeneres was not present at the time.
He added that there was no interaction with the process server, no explanation of what the documents contained, and no signed acknowledgment of receipt.
He also said he is not aware of any copy of the summons and complaint being mailed to the office.
The lawsuit itself was filed in September 2025.
The woman suing DeGeneres alleges that the former talk show host ran a stop sign and crashed her Tesla in Santa Barbara County in October 2023.
She accuses DeGeneres of negligence and claims she was injured in the accident. The plaintiff seeks an unspecified amount in damages.
DeGeneres, who turned 68 on January 26, is currently living in the United Kingdom with his wife, Portia de Rossi, after moving in 2024. A hearing date for the case is scheduled for April 30.
