CBS News correspondent Matt Gutman accused of sexual harassment in new lawsuit

CBS News correspondent Matt Gutman accused of sexual harassment in new lawsuit The lawsuit filed by a former ABC field producer details claims that the journalist made inappropriate sexual comments and rated a female colleague’s appearance on assignment - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A former ABC News field producer is suing CBS News Chief Correspondent Matt Gutman, alleging he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior and helped foster a hostile work environment when the two were colleagues at his former network. Samira Said filed the wrongful termination lawsuit on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Disney, ABC’s parent company, and named Gutman as a defendant. Gutman worked at ABC News for 17 years before moving to CBS News in January as chief correspondent and a lead contributor to “48 Hours.” According to court filings seen by the Los Angeles Times, the lawsuit detailed two specific workplace incidents involving Gutman. In one instance, while waiting in a public line 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 claimed other male crew members joined the conversation and urged her to participate, which she declined, calling the remarks inappropriate. The suit also pointed to an exchange during a movie release press event. When Said and Gutman disagreed over whether to leave the location, “Gutman responded by making a sexualized insinuation that Said must have an after-hours date in the city,” according to the complaint. The filing alleged that the comments made before co-workers were demeaning and “reduced [Said’s] professional judgment to a sexualized stereotype.” Neither Disney, CBS News nor Gutman has issued substantive statements regarding the claims. The suit comes as Gutman, 48, has taken on an increasingly prominent profile at CBS News. He was the first major talent acquisition by Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss after she assumed control of the news division in October 2025. Gutman recently made headlines while filling in as anchor on “CBS Evening News” during a two-week absence by regular anchor Tony Dokoupil. As The Independent previously reported, Gutman drew 4.1 million viewers during his first week behind the desk — marking the show’s best performance in 17 weeks and its first time crossing the 4 million threshold since late March, according to media reporter Oliver Darcy of Status. While media observers noted the ratings bump, a spokesperson for CBS told The Independent at the time that claims linking the spike to a host switch were false, claiming that viewership rose across all major network newscasts during that specific news cycle. The network maintained it had full confidence in Dokoupil, pointing to overall second-quarter growth for the broadcast. Gutman also drew public attention recently after sharing on X that he narrowly avoided falling victim to a phone fraud scheme. In a video detailed by The Independent, the journalist described how a scammer posing as a bank fraud agent instructed him to withdraw thousands in cash as part of an alleged “sting operation.” Gutman realized the setup was fake while at the bank teller window, later thanking the Los Angeles Police Department and Bank of America for helping him avert a dangerous situation. Beyond the allegations against Gutman, Said’s suit alleges ABC News wrongfully terminated her in 2025 following a mental health leave. Said, who spent four years at the network, was assigned to cover the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where she interviewed child survivors. After requesting leave for her health, her initial request was denied by a supervisor before a psychiatrist later approved medical leave. The lawsuit claims that despite the medical approval, she continued receiving assignment requests from the network’s Los Angeles bureau. Said later sustained a foot injury covering regional weather events in 2025 and was sent home three weeks into covering the Los Angeles wildfires due to deteriorating physical health. The lawsuit claims ABC violated California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act by refusing reasonable medical accommodations. Said is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney fees. The Independent has contacted Disney and CBS News for comment. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments