Ellen DeGeneres is pushing back against a lawsuit linked to a 2023 California car crash, arguing she was never properly served with legal papers despite demands from the woman suing her.
The dispute centers on whether DeGeneres was legally served with notice of the lawsuit, which accuses her of causing a traffic accident that resulted in injuries.
According to court documents dated Jan. 21 and obtained by Us WeeklyDeGeneres’ legal team says the papers were not delivered to her home or personal place of business.
The archive explains that documents were left on December 23, 2025 at the reception desk of Neuman + Associates, a business management firm.
The response makes clear that the location is “not Ms. DeGeneres’ residence, habitual residence or usual place of business,” adding that she was not there at the time.
The woman who filed the suit has alleged that a process server also attempted to serve the documents at NKSFB, LLC on January 6 and January 7, leaving them with an “employee/security guard.” Neuman + Associates is a division of NKSFB.
DeGeneres’ response strongly disputes that this counts as proper service, saying, “There was no reason to believe Ms. DeGeneres would even be there, and especially not on those two random days in January.”
The documentation further argues, “It should be reasonably obvious 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 would have a direct relationship with DeGeneres or be expected to reliably deliver sensitive legal papers to her.
Harley Neuman, who heads Neuman + Associates and sits on the board 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 in 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 that he is not aware of any copy of the summons and complaint sent to the office.
The lawsuit itself was filed in September 2025.
The woman suing DeGeneres claims the former talk show host ran a stop sign and hit her Tesla in Santa Barbara County in October 2023.
She is accusing DeGeneres of negligence and claims she was injured in the crash. The plaintiff is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
DeGeneres, who turned 68 on January 26, currently lives in the UK with his wife, Portia de Rossi, after moving in 2024. The court date for the case is scheduled for April 30.
