ABC News has not yet issued a public statement regarding the lawsuit, and CBS News representatives have declined to comment on allegations concerning Gutman's conduct prior to his tenure with their network.
Sources close to the situation say Said documented her complaints internally before her termination. The timing of her departure versus when she raised concerns could be crucial — if she was fired shortly after reporting, that's a textbook retaliation case.
The lawsuit was filed on August 16, 2026, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Samira Said worked as an ABC News field producer before her termination and accuses Matt Gutman of making inappropriate sexualized comments during their time working together at the network.
This is exactly the kind of case that makes newsrooms uncomfortable — a former producer alleging toxic behavior from someone who went on to bigger gigs. CBS News just inherited someone with baggage ABC apparently didn't want to deal with internally.
A former ABC News field producer has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in Los Angeles, accusing her former colleague Matt Gutman of making inappropriate sexualized comments while they both worked at the network — and claiming she was pushed out after raising concerns about his behavior. Samira Said, who spent years working as a field producer for ABC News, filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on August 16, 2026.
According to the complaint, Gutman made sexualized remarks directed at Said during their time working together at the network. The lawsuit alleges that when Said reported the behavior through proper channels, her complaints were minimized — and that she was subsequently terminated in what amounts to retaliation for speaking up. The timing of this case is particularly awkward for CBS News, where Gutman now serves as chief correspondent.
He made the jump from ABC to CBS relatively recently, taking a prominent position at the rival network. Now his new employer finds itself indirectly implicated in allegations about behavior that allegedly occurred before he ever set foot in their building. What's notable here is the structure of Said's claims.
It's not just about Gutman's conduct — it's about what happened after she reported it. Wrongful termination lawsuits centered on retaliation are notoriously difficult to prove, which means Said's legal team likely has documented evidence of her complaints and a paper trail showing her firing came after those reports. ABC News will have to answer for why an employee who raised legitimate concerns ended up out of a job while the person she complained about kept climbing the ladder.
Neither ABC News nor CBS News had issued public statements as of publication, which is standard operating procedure when lawsuits first drop — legal teams typically advise clients to stay quiet until they've reviewed the full complaint. But silence won't be an option forever. Discovery in these cases can get messy fast, and if there are internal emails or Slack messages about Said's complaints, this story is far from over.
For now, Gutman remains in his role at CBS News while the lawsuit proceeds. That's going to be a tough look for the network — explaining to viewers why their chief correspondent was accused of inappropriate behavior at ABC while they were busy hiring him away.
