$10 MILLION LAWSUIT: RENÉE ZELLWEGER DROPPED FROM DISPUTE AS ANT ANSTEAD STILL FACES LEGAL BATTLE

Renée Zellweger has officially been removed from a $10 million civil lawsuit involving her boyfriend, Ant Anstead. According to court documents cited by TMZ, plaintiff Tracey Belland has withdrawn her claim against the actress, with the dismissal entered “with prejudice,” meaning the claim cannot simply be refiled against Zellweger in connection with the same matter. The development does not, however, bring the wider dispute to an end. Anstead remains involved in the case, while questions surrounding the rental property in Laguna Beach are still being addressed.

The case stems from an incident allegedly involving a rental property in Laguna Beach, California, on August 14, 2024, when Anstead was renting the home. Tracey Bryn Belland, who was reportedly a guest at the property, claimed that she “tripped and fell on the patio” after stepping onto a thin rug placed over a hole in the surface. According to her lawsuit, the uneven condition caused her to fall and injure her right knee, after which she required treatment and allegedly experienced ongoing physical, financial and emotional consequences.

Belland initially named Renée Zellweger, Ant Anstead and the property’s owner, Glenn Alan Wilson, in the lawsuit, alleging that they were responsible for the condition of the area where the accident occurred. The complaint sought more than $10 million in damages, including compensation Belland attributed to her injuries, medical expenses, pain and suffering and other related losses. In June 2025, Zellweger and Anstead denied the allegations. Their position was that Belland could not legally hold either of them responsible for the injuries she claimed to have suffered at the property.

From the beginning, Zellweger’s position in the lawsuit differed in an important way from Anstead’s. Sources previously told TMZ that the actress was not named on the rental agreement and was not the person renting the property. Zellweger was reportedly maintaining her own residence nearby rather than being listed on the paperwork for the home where Belland was injured. That distinction became an important part of the actress’s position, since responsibility for maintaining a property or warning about potentially dangerous conditions can depend on ownership, the terms of a lease and the specific obligations assigned to each individual.

In their earlier legal response, Zellweger and Anstead argued that the actress did not rent, own or maintain the property and therefore had no obligation to “inspect, repair, or warn of any condition on the premises.” As for Anstead, they also maintained that he had fulfilled the obligations required of him under the rental agreement. These arguments should not be confused with a judicial finding about who was right or wrong regarding the accident. They represented the legal position taken by Zellweger and Anstead in response to Belland’s allegations.

The dispute became more complicated when Glenn Alan Wilson, the owner of the property, filed a cross-complaint. According to reports based on court documents, Wilson argued that Anstead was the only person named on the rental agreement at the time of the incident and therefore had certain responsibilities relating to the maintenance of the property. He also sought to hold Zellweger and Anstead responsible for certain costs and legal obligations if Belland were ultimately awarded damages. Zellweger and Anstead continued to dispute those arguments.

Belland’s withdrawal of the claim against Zellweger and the dismissal “with prejudice” therefore represents a separate development for the Bridget Jones star. In legal terms, a dismissal with prejudice means the particular claim cannot simply be brought again by the plaintiff in the future. It does not, however, amount to a ruling that all of the original allegations were either true or false. The portion of the dispute involving Anstead must be considered separately from the claim that has now ended against Zellweger. According to the latest information cited by TMZ, the case involving Anstead remains ongoing.

The lawsuit arrives at a time when Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead’s private life has also attracted renewed attention after years of keeping their relationship relatively low-key. The pair met in 2021 when Zellweger appeared on Anstead’s show Celebrity IOU: Joyride. Their professional acquaintance soon developed into a romantic relationship, and Anstead went public with their romance in September of that year. Since then, the couple have appeared together on a number of occasions while generally keeping the details of their personal life away from the spotlight.

Their relationship has attracted particular interest because of the way the two have arranged their lives in California. In 2021, Zellweger was reportedly renting a home in Laguna Beach directly across from Anstead’s residence for around $30,000 a month. Later, after Anstead sold his home in 2023, speculation grew that the two had begun living together. However, reports at the time emphasized that Anstead moving some of his belongings into Zellweger’s garage did not necessarily mean the couple had officially moved in together.

Their relationship has also survived breakup rumors over the years. In 2025, Anstead’s representative denied reports that the couple had ended their relationship and asked the public to respect their privacy. In 2026, Anstead publicly expressed his affection for Zellweger while marking five years since they began dating, calling her “The best human I know” and writing that he felt like the “Luckiest boy.” Such rare public declarations have offered a glimpse into a relationship that both stars have otherwise largely chosen to keep private.

While Zellweger’s personal life is currently connected to a British television personality known for his work with cars, her professional identity has been shaped by roles that have become part of popular culture. Born in Texas in 1969, Zellweger began making her mark in Hollywood during the 1990s before reaching a major turning point with Jerry Maguire. Her role as Bridget Jones then established her as one of the most recognizable actresses in romantic comedy. Bridget Jones’s Diary, released in 2001, earned Zellweger her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

But Zellweger’s career was never limited to romantic comedies. With Chicago, she further demonstrated her range in a major musical production and received another Oscar nomination. A year later, her performance as Ruby Thewes in Cold Mountain earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2004 ceremony. The achievement cemented her reputation as an actress capable of moving between commercial productions and more demanding dramatic roles.

In 2019, Zellweger returned to the Oscar race with Judy, in which she portrayed legendary singer and actress Judy Garland. It was her fourth Academy Award nomination and her second win, this time for Best Actress. Academy records show that Zellweger had previously been nominated for Bridget Jones’s Diary and Chicago, before winning for Cold Mountain and later Judy. The film marked a significant comeback after years in which she had stepped away from the center of Hollywood, demonstrating that she could return with a demanding, transformative performance rather than simply revisiting the image that had made her famous.

One of the most distinctive periods of Zellweger’s career was precisely the time when she chose to slow down her involvement in Hollywood. After years of working continuously, the actress deliberately reduced the number of projects she took on. The period has often been described as a time when she prioritized her private life and activities outside acting instead of constantly pursuing new roles. When she eventually returned with Judy, Zellweger did not attempt to recreate the image associated with her earlier peak. Instead, she chose a challenging role that required significant changes to her voice, appearance and approach to the character.

Her personal life has also included a brief marriage to country music star Kenny Chesney. The two married in 2005 after a period of getting to know each other, but the marriage lasted only a few months before it was annulled later that same year. Before and after that marriage, Zellweger was romantically linked to several high-profile stars, including Jim Carrey and Bradley Cooper. Despite the attention surrounding those relationships, the actress has generally maintained a clear boundary between her private life and her professional career, rarely allowing her relationships to become the focus of her work.

In recent years, Zellweger’s name has once again become closely associated with Bridget Jones. Nearly a decade after Bridget Jones’s Baby, she returned for the fourth installment, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, released in 2025. This time, the story was more mature, with Bridget portrayed as a single mother dealing with the loss of Mark Darcy. Zellweger once again stepped into the role that had been associated with her for more than two decades and reunited with Hugh Grant for the film.

The return of Bridget Jones also highlighted another aspect of Zellweger’s career: her ability to keep a character relevant across different generations of audiences. During the 25th anniversary of Bridget Jones’s Diary, the actress reflected on how the character had challenged some of the conventional expectations surrounding female leads in romantic comedies. Zellweger described Bridget as a “normal” woman who is imperfect, occasionally awkward and not concerned with maintaining an image of perfection. That vulnerability, rather than conventional glamour, became one of the qualities that made the character so relatable.

Against that backdrop, the Laguna Beach lawsuit represents an unusual chapter in Zellweger’s current life. An actress who has won two Academy Awards and spent years avoiding unnecessary public attention suddenly found herself named in a legal dispute originating from a property that, according to the reports, she did not even rent herself. The permanent dismissal of the claim against her separates Zellweger from that portion of the legal battle, while Anstead remains involved in the unresolved issues. It is important to distinguish the legal status of each individual rather than treating the lawsuit as a single dispute involving both partners in the same way.

For Ant Anstead, the legal dispute comes alongside a career that has also included business and financial ventures. The British television presenter became widely known through automotive programs such as Wheeler Dealers and For the Love of Cars before expanding into television production, property and other projects. He has also worked extensively on classic car restoration, building a career that is markedly different from Zellweger’s film background. The combination of an Oscar-winning actress and a television personality known for cars made their relationship an unexpected Hollywood pairing from the beginning.

At this point, the clearest fact is that Renée Zellweger is no longer a defendant in the portion of Belland’s lawsuit brought against her. The “with prejudice” dismissal means that the particular claim cannot simply be brought again in the ordinary course, while Ant Anstead remains involved in the remaining legal proceedings. The allegations surrounding the accident at the Laguna Beach property are still matters for the legal process and should not be treated as proof of liability by any party before a final ruling is issued.

For Zellweger, the legal chapter now appears to be a relatively contained episode within a period when both her career and private life continue to evolve. Following her return as Bridget Jones, her long-term relationship with Anstead and her continued involvement in film projects, the actress has maintained the reserved public image that has increasingly become characteristic of her. The lawsuit briefly placed her name in a multimillion-dollar legal dispute, but with the claim against her now permanently dismissed, the remaining proceedings will primarily concern the other parties — including the man who has been her longtime partner.