CBS News correspondent Matt Gutman is named in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former ABC colleague.
Samira Said, who previously worked as a field producer at ABC News, dropped the bombshell complaint Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, according to reports. She alleges Gutman subjected her to sex and gender based harassment on two separate occasions while they worked together. The lawsuit also targets ABC News, parent company Disney, and ABC bureau chief David Herndon.
So what exactly did Gutman allegedly do? Here is where it gets juicy.
During one assignment, Said was part of a team with Gutman and two other male crew members. While standing in a public line, Gutman allegedly kicked off a conversation ranking a female correspondent's physical appearance, literally reducing her professional reputation to a numerical score based on her body. The other guys reportedly jumped right in, rating the woman's looks while Said stood there listening. Then they allegedly turned to Said and asked her to weigh in. She refused and told them the whole thing was inappropriate.
The second incident allegedly went down at a press event for a movie release. Said and Gutman reportedly had a disagreement about whether the news crew should pack up and move to a different location. In front of multiple colleagues, Gutman allegedly fired back by suggesting Said must have some kind of after hours date in the city, implying that was the real reason she objected to relocating. Said says that remark stripped away her professional credibility and reduced her judgment to a sexualized stereotype.
But the lawsuit goes way deeper than those two encounters with the 48 year old correspondent.
Said claims she started receiving psychiatric treatment for depression symptoms back in 2021 and was told to scale back her workload. Despite that, she alleges ABC management pressured her into covering the horrific May 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where she interviewed children who witnessed the murders of their classmates and teachers. She says she suffered severe psychological symptoms afterward and requested time off, but was initially denied.
A psychiatrist eventually approved medical leave starting August 2022, but Said alleges ABC staffers kept sending her work requests during that leave. She says she complied because she was afraid of professional retaliation if she ignored them.
After returning to work, Said claims ABC turned down accommodations her psychiatrist recommended. She was later sent to cover the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires and stayed in the field until a supervisor reportedly noticed her physical condition deteriorating and pulled her out. On another assignment involving hazardous weather, heavy equipment allegedly struck her foot and caused a bone contusion. ABC's own doctor examined her, and the company still denied her request for medical leave.
Then came the final blow. On March 5th, 2025, Said walked into what she thought was a routine meeting and was told she was fired.
Said worked in ABC's Los Angeles bureau from May 2021 until that termination. Gutman spent 17 years at ABC before jumping to CBS News in late 2025, where he now serves as chief news correspondent, lead correspondent for "48 Hours," and a contributor to "60 Minutes."
Said is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys' fees, and a jury trial. The filing states her demands exceed $35,000 but does not specify a total amount. As of initial reporting, Gutman, CBS News, ABC, and Disney had not publicly responded to the allegations.
Read more American news stories at: The American Tribune
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