The Evolution of a High-Stakes Workplace Lawsuit in Network Media
Former ABC News field producer Samira Said has officially removed claims involving CBS News Chief Correspondent Matt Gutman from her ongoing wrongful termination lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
According to court filings reported by the Los Angeles Times via Yahoo Entertainment, the original complaint alleged that Gutman created a hostile work environment through inappropriate remarks made during their time together at ABC News. However, subsequent legal updates show that Gutman is no longer a part of the wrongful termination suit. Representatives for CBS News and Gutman previously declined to comment when the initial complaint surfaced, citing that they had not yet reviewed the documents, while a Disney representative similarly declined to comment.
Inside the Original Claims and Network Transitions
The lawsuit brought forward by Said outlined two distinct incidents involving Gutman during field assignments. The first alleged occurrence took place while waiting on a public line during an assignment, where Gutman allegedly initiated a conversation rating a female correspondent’s appearance. The suit claimed other male crew members joined in and attempted to solicit Said’s views, which she declined, stating the conversation was inappropriate.
A second exchange cited in the initial filing occurred while the pair covered a movie release press event. The suit claimed that after a disagreement regarding whether they should leave the work site, Gutman responded in front of multiple coworkers with a remark implying Said had an after-hours date in the city. The filing contended that these remarks demeaned her professional standing.
The legal action also highlighted Gutman’s career trajectory, noting his 17-year tenure reporting largely from Los Angeles for ABC News before his high-profile transition to CBS News. At CBS, Gutman quickly made waves by filling in as anchor of the CBS Evening News, where he drew higher ratings than regular anchor Tony Dokoupil.
Broader Allegations Against ABC News and Disney
While the claims specifically targeting Gutman have been dropped from the litigation, the core of Said’s wrongful termination lawsuit against The Walt Disney Co. and ABC News remains active. The complaint accuses ABC News of violating California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act by failing to provide reasonable accommodations for mental health issues.
Said, who spent four years as a field producer for ABC News, alleged she faced systemic pressures after being assigned to cover traumatic events. The suit details her assignment to the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where she interviewed child survivors. Afterward, requests for a short medical leave to tend to her health were initially denied by supervisors before a psychiatrist eventually approved it.
Further allegations in the suit point to continued assignment requests during her leave from David Herndon, then head of ABC’s Los Angeles bureau. Additional physical strains followed, including being sent home three weeks into covering the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025 due to a deteriorating physical condition, and a later foot injury sustained while covering a local weather-related story that met with denied requests for medical leave after evaluation by a company doctor.
