CBS News correspondent Matt Gutman is facing renewed scrutiny following a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former ABC News producer. The lawsuit, filed last Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, names Gutman, Disney, and ABC News as defendants. The former producer, Samira Said, alleges that Gutman created a hostile work environment and subjected her to sexual harassment and discrimination.
According to the lawsuit, Said claims that during an assignment, Gutman and other male crew members participated in rating a female correspondent's appearance, reducing her professional standing to a score based on physical attributes. Said stated she declined to participate in the conversation, deeming it inappropriate. The suit also alleges that on a separate occasion, Gutman made a "sexualized insinuation" towards Said when inquiring if she had an "after-hours date" as she prepared to leave a movie press event. Said claims this remark demeaned her and reduced her professional judgment to a "sexualized stereotype."
Said's lawsuit also details allegations of denied accommodations and retaliation. She claims that after a medical leave from August 2022 to January 2023, her requests for reasonable accommodation were denied. When she sought to resume her role, ABC News' LA bureau chief reportedly stated she would not be permitted to return without restrictions and full-week availability. Subsequently, Said was reportedly demoted to weekend desk shifts in March 2023 and was fired in March 2025 after sustaining a workplace injury while covering hazardous weather events.
Said is seeking monetary damages, alleging discrimination based on gender/sex, ancestry, and/or disability, hostile work environment harassment, retaliation, and failure to provide reasonable accommodation.
This lawsuit comes as Gutman, 48, has been criticized for past on-air errors and professional conduct. In 2020, while at ABC News, he issued a public apology for incorrectly reporting that all four of Kobe Bryant's children died in the helicopter crash that killed the basketball star, when only his daughter perished. Gutman attributed the error to a panic attack, a struggle he has detailed in his writing.
Another suspension from ABC News followed in February 2021 when Gutman reportedly violated Disney's COVID-19 policies by visiting a Los Angeles hospital without authorization to vet a story. More recently, before joining CBS News, he faced criticism for his description of text messages related to a sensitive news story, which he later apologized for.
Gutman joined CBS News in December, less than a year ago, as one of the first hires by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. He was praised by Weiss for his "fearlessness, energy and relentlessness." He recently filled in for "CBS Mornings" anchor Tony Dokoupil, during which the show experienced a brief ratings increase. Gutman's past, including on-air mistakes and workplace conduct, has drawn increased attention following the new lawsuit. The circumstances of his departure from ABC News and subsequent hiring by CBS News have also been a point of discussion within the industry. ABC executives were reportedly aware of the offer made to Gutman by CBS but did not attempt to counter it as his contract was expiring.