Ellen DeGeneres caught in fresh lawsuit over 2023 California car crash

The former talk show host is facing a negligence lawsuit linked to a car crash in Santa Barbara County, California, with the woman suing her now pushing for the case to be heard by a jury. The alleged collision took place on October 16, 2023, when court papers claim DeGeneres drove through a stop sign and hit another vehicle.

The anonymous woman filed her lawsuit in September, saying she suffered serious injuries, emotional distress and financial losses. She claims she had stopped, checked for traffic and moved forward when DeGeneres allegedly hit her car.

On December 15, the plaintiff formally requested a jury trial. At present, the case is listed as a non-jury trial in 2026, leaving that decision unresolved.

Court records also show mediation talks took place on December 9, but DeGeneres has yet to be formally served. Lawyers say she has been living in the UK after moving to the Cotswolds with her wife, Portia de Rossi, following the sale of their California homes in late 2024. Legal teams now plan to use the Hague Convention to serve the papers overseas.

The complaint argues DeGeneres’s driving fell ‘far below’ the standards and left the plaintiff with lasting physical and emotional harm.