A former ABC News journalist is suing former colleague CBS News Chief Correspondent Matt Gutman over inappropriate remarks he allegedly made when they worked together several years ago.
Samira Said, a field producer for ABC News for four years, included the claims related to Gutman in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court against her former employer and its parent The Walt Disney Co. Gutman, who joined CBS News in January, is named as a defendant as well.
The suit cited two incidents where Said claims Gutman created a hostile work environment by making inappropriate sexual comments while on the job. While waiting on a public line with Said during an assignment, Gutman allegedly “initiated a discussion rating a female correspondent’s appearance and reducing her professional standing to a numerical score based on her physical attributes.”
Said claims the other male crew members on the assignment joined in and tried to draw her into the conversation by soliciting her views. Said declined and stated the conversation was inappropriate.
The suit cited another exchange when the two covered a press event for a movie release. Said claims she and Gutman disagreed about whether they should leave the work site. “In front of multiple coworkers, Gutman responded by making a sexualized insinuation that Said must have an after-hours date in the city,” the suit said.
The suit also said the remarks made in front of co-workers were demeaning and “reduced [Said’s] professional judgment to a sexualized stereotype.”
In a statement to The Times, Gutman denied Said’s harassment claims.
Gutman, 48, was the first high-profile talent hire by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who took charge of the division in October 2025. He recently filled in as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” and scored higher ratings than the program’s regular anchor Tony Dokoupil.
Gutman spent 17 years at ABC News where he mostly reported from Los Angeles.
The suit also claims Said was wrongfully terminated from ABC News in 2025 after dealing with mental health issues. The suit accuses the company of violating California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act by not making accommodations for her.
A Disney representative declined comment as executives have yet to see Said’s complaint.
Said was assigned to cover the 2022 shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where she was required to interview child survivors who had witnessed the killing of their classmates. Afterward, she told her supervisor she needed a short leave to attend to her health, but was denied.
A psychiatrist eventually approved a medical leave. The suit alleges that shortly after it began Said continued to get assignment requests from David Herndon, then head of ABC’s Los Angeles bureau.
Said was assigned to cover the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025. She was sent home three weeks in after a supervisor observed her deteriorating physical condition, according to the suit.
Said injured her foot later that year while covering a weather-related story in the area. She reported the injury to supervisors but was denied a request for medical leave after being evaluated by a company doctor.
Said is seeking compensatory and punitive damages along with her attorneys’ fees.
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