Summary:
- Kathy Ireland has alleged fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and unlawful business practices in a suit against her former business partners
- Defendants include Jason Winters and Erik Sterling, who served as Ireland’s managers
- Ireland and co-plaintiffs allege coordinated evasion of service attempts
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Businesswoman, home furnishings veteran and entrepreneur Kathy Ireland, along with co-plaintiffs Dr. Gregory P. Olsen and Barbara Ireland, has filed a motion in Santa Barbara County Superior Court seeking authorization to serve defendants by publication after repeated efforts at personal service allegedly failed.
The plaintiffs are represented by Jared Katz of Mullen & Henzell LLP and Jill Basinger of Stris & Maher LLP.
The motion follows what plaintiffs describe as a coordinated pattern of evasion by all named defendants, even as they continue to comment publicly on the litigation. “If you have time to talk to reporters about a lawsuit, you have time to accept service of it,” said Basinger.
According to the filing, multiple attempts to serve the defendants — Jason Winters, Erik Sterling, Stephen Roseberry, Jon Carrasco, Nic Mendoza and Brittany Duncan — have been unsuccessful.
The motion outlines conduct including:
- Vacating known residences without forwarding addresses
- Avoiding or turning away process servers
- Shifting business addresses to virtual mailboxes after the lawsuits were filed
- Ignoring certified mail, email, and LinkedIn outreach
- Publicly addressing the lawsuit while declining formal service
- A previously identified attorney stating he is not authorized to accept service
Service by publication is permitted under California law only after a showing of reasonable diligence. If approved, the plaintiffs will proceed with notice through a court-authorized publication.
The underlying lawsuits, filed in March, allege fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, constructive fraud, elder abuse, negligence and unlawful business practices, with Winters and Sterling identified as central defendants.
Despite the legal proceedings, Ireland continues to operate Kathy Ireland Brands independently and without interruption.
Over the years, Kathy Ireland built an expansive licensing platforms in home, aligning with major manufacturers across multiple categories:
- Standard Furniture — Case goods and youth/bedroom furniture; one of her longest-running and most visible furniture partnerships.
- AICO (Amini Innovation Corp) — Higher-end, design-driven case goods collections under the Kathy Ireland Home brand.
- Pacific Coast Lighting — Decorative lighting across table and floor lamps.
- Surya — Rugs, textiles and accessories, expanding her reach into soft home categories.
- Feizy Rugs — Area rugs with a more fashion-forward and premium positioning.
- Nourison Home— Rugs and broadloom carpet, helping scale distribution across price points.
- Ashley Furniture Inds. — Select collaborations bringing her brand into mass-market distribution.
Ireland’s strategy wasn’t about owning factories; it was about brand licensing at scale, plugging into best-in-class manufacturers in each category. That allowed Kathy Ireland Home to show up everywhere from entry-level retail floors to higher-end galleries, spanning furniture, lighting, rugs and accessories.
