What We Know About The Car Accident Carrie Ann Inaba Was Involved In

Over two years after Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba was in a car accident, news has now come to light that she allegedly caused the incident (via Just Jared). According to documents obtained by The Blast, Inaba is being sued by Jessie Zimbro for $25,000, in remediation for damages to his property and himself. Zimbro's complaint reads, "Defendant's negligence was a direct, proximate and legal cause of the injuries sustained by Plaintiff" (via The Blast).

The Dec. 16, 2019 accident took place at the Los Angeles intersection of Coldwater Canyon Drive and Betty Lane, in the city's posh Beverly Hills neighborhood. Inaba, formerly a Los Angeles resident herself, sold her Valley Village home in 2016 for $1.15 million (via the Los Angeles Times) in order to return to her homeland of Hawaii (via Closer Weekly).

Per Zimbro, Inaba that day drove in a "negligent, careless and unreasonable manner," which comes in violation of the California Vehicle Codes. Inaba is only the latest celebrity to find themselves on this end of a lawsuit in regards to their driving. Justin Bieber was also sued in 2019 for allegedly hitting a photographer who was standing near his car (via ET Canada), as was Mindy Kaling in 2020 for, as the plaintiff claims, causing "grave bodily injury" (via The Blast).

News of this lawsuit against Carrie Ann Inaba comes on the heels of the DWTS judge's recent COVID-19 diagnosis (via Deadline). In December 2020, Inaba — who got her start as a Fly Girl on In Living Color — shared via an Instagram post, "Hey Everyone, I have tested positive for COVID 19. I'm home with some symptoms and will be sequestering as per the CDC guidelines, resting and taking care of myself." Inaba urged her followers to take the virus seriously, concluding her post, "Wear your masks, socially and physically keep your distance, and wash your hands. Take care everyone. And I'll keep you updated on my journey."

Inaba, who also serves as a co-host of The Talk, had to skip filming as she recovered. On Dec. 30, Inaba shared in another Instagram post that although her latest two COVID tests had come back negative, "COVID doesn't end when the test is negative" and explained that lingering side effects were still with her. That being said, Inaba recognized how fortunate she was not to have to go to the hospital for her symptoms — and that she was grateful.