Ellen DeGeneres finds herself embroiled in some legal turmoil. According to court documents obtained by People, a woman is suing the former talk show queen for negligence, claiming that Ellen blatantly ignored a stop sign while driving in Santa Barbara, California, and subsequently crashed into the side of the plaintiff's car.
The lawsuit details that the intersection where the accident unfolded back in October 2023 was "governed by stop signs in all directions." While the woman asserts she dutifully stopped at her stop sign and "ensured there were no other vehicles" before proceeding, Ellen allegedly "suddenly and without any warning" collided with her vehicle, executing a "T-bone" maneuver on her Tesla.
In the lawsuit, the woman further alleges that she suffered "multiple serious personal injuries and damages" as a direct consequence of the accident. These include wage loss, mounting hospital and medical expenses, as well as "loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, and anxiety." Although Ellen has not publicly responded to these allegations, her latest legal entanglement arrives amidst a new chapter in her and wife Portia de Rossi's lives since relocating to the English countryside last year.
"Portia's living her dream, galloping her horse through the English countryside and into the village," Ellen captioned a video of her wife riding a horse, which she shared on Instagram on August 20. "Gosh, I hope she comes home soon."
The couple, who tied the knot in 2008, made the move to England in November 2024. However, they recently shifted within the region, leaving their $30 million mansion nestled in the Cotswolds in favor of a nearby estate that would fully accommodate Portia's equestrian passion.
"When we decided to live here full-time, we knew that Portia couldn't live without her horses," the 67-year-old Ellen shared with The Wall Street Journal in July. "We needed a home that had a horse facility and pastures for them." After all, the couple was eager to seize the opportunity to revel in the "absolutely beautiful" rural landscape.
"We're just not used to seeing this kind of beauty," Ellen remarked at a July 20 event with broadcaster Richard Bacon, as reported by the BBC. "The villages, the towns, the architecture—everything you see is charming, and it's just a simpler way of life."
"It's clean," she added. "Everything here is just better—the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here."
