CBS News chief correspondent Matt Gutman has been accused of making inappropriate and “sexualized” remarks while working at ABC News, according to a wrongful-termination lawsuit filed by one of his former colleagues. Former ABC News field producer Samira Said claims Gutman subjected her to sex and gender-based harassment on two separate assignments. The allegations form part of a broader complaint against Gutman, ABC News, parent company Disney, and ABC News bureau chief David Herndon.
Said filed the lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court after working in ABC News’ Los Angeles bureau from May 2021 until March 2025. She alleges that ABC and Disney discriminated and retaliated against her, repeatedly failed to accommodate her medical needs, and eventually fired her. Gutman, who left ABC after 17 years and joined CBS News in late 2025, is accused of contributing to what Said describes as a hostile work environment.
The first alleged incident occurred when Said was assigned to a team consisting of Gutman and two other male crew members. While the group waited in a public line during an assignment, Gutman allegedly began a conversation about a female correspondent’s physical appearance. The complaint claims he reduced the correspondent’s professional standing “to a numerical score based on her physical attributes.”
According to the complaint, the other men joined the discussion and continued assessing the woman’s body and appearance in Said’s presence. They then allegedly asked Said to participate and give her opinion. Said refused and told the group that she considered the conversation inappropriate, as Trending Politics News reported.
The second alleged incident occurred during a press event for a movie release. Said and Gutman reportedly disagreed over whether the news team should leave its work site and relocate. Gutman allegedly responded in front of several colleagues by “making a sexualized insinuation that Said must have an after-hours date in the city and that this is why she did not want to relocate,” according to the complaint obtained by People.
Said’s lawsuit claims the remark demeaned her and “reduced her professional judgment to a sexualized stereotype.” She alleges that Gutman was acting as her supervisor during her employment at ABC News. Gutman, 48, is now CBS News’ chief news correspondent, the lead correspondent for “48 Hours,” and a contributor to “60 Minutes.”
The complaint extends well beyond the two exchanges involving Gutman. Said says she began receiving psychiatric treatment for symptoms of depression in 2021 and was advised to reduce her workload. She alleges that ABC management nevertheless strongly urged her to cover the May 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where she interviewed children who witnessed the murders of classmates and teachers.
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Said claims she suffered severe psychological symptoms following the assignment and asked for a short period away from work, but her initial request was denied. A psychiatrist later approved medical leave beginning in August 2022. The lawsuit alleges that ABC employees continued sending her work requests during that leave and that she responded because she feared professional consequences if she refused.
After returning, Said alleges that ABC rejected accommodations recommended by her psychiatrist. She was later assigned to cover the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, remaining in the field until a supervisor reportedly noticed her deteriorating physical condition and sent her home. On a subsequent hazardous-weather assignment, Said claims heavy equipment struck her foot and caused a bone contusion, but the company denied another request for medical leave following an examination by its doctor.
Said was called into what she believed would be a routine meeting on March 5th, 2025, and was instead informed that ABC News was terminating her employment, according to the complaint. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, other legal relief, and a jury trial. The filing does not state a specific total beyond saying the amount demanded exceeds $35,000, while Gutman, CBS News, ABC, and Disney had not publicly answered the allegations as of the initial reports.