A former field producer for ABC News, Samira Said, has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles. The legal action targets the network and CBS News correspondent Matt Gutman , alleging a hostile work environment.
Numerical ratings and sexualized remarks in the Los Angeles bureau
The lawsuit filed by Samira Said alleges that Matt Gutman, who currently serves as a chief correspondent for CBS News, created a toxic atmosphere during their time working together at ABC News. According to the legal complaint, Gutman initiated a discussion in a public queue where he and a male crew rated a female correspondent's physical appearance, assigning her a numreical score based on her looks.
Said further alleges that Gutman made a sexualized insinuation during a film release press day. The complaint states that after a professional disagreement regarding whether the team should leave a site, Gutman suggested that Said must have an "after-hours date" in the city. Said claims this remark was made audibly to others, effectively reducing her professional judgment to a sexualized stereoype.
The psychological toll of the 2022 Uvalde assignment
Beyond the allegations of verbal misconduct , the lawsuit details a period of significant physical and mental distress following a high-profile assignment. As the report notes, ABC News sent Said to cover the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, while she was still experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. This assignment reportedly resulted in severe psychological symptoms that required medical intervention.
The legal filing claims that although a psychiatrist signed off on a leave of absence for Said, ABC News refused to provide the necessary accommodations. Instead, the network allegedly informed her that she must either return to work without accommodations or resign from her position. This sequence of events is central to Said's claim of unlawful termination in March 2025.
Why The Walt Disney Company is named in the Los Angeles filing
The legal action extends its reach beyond the news division to include The Walt Disney Company, the parent corporation of ABC. By naming the conglomerate, the lawsuit seeks to hold the broader corporate structure accountable for the enviroonment within the Los Angeles bureau. Said is pursuing both compensatory and punitive damages as a result of her departure from the network in March 2025.
The missing defense from Matt Gutman and ABC News
While the allegations presented by Samira Said are detailed, several critical pieces of information remain unverified. The current reporting does not include a formal response from Matt Gutman or representatives from ABC News regarding the specific claims of sexualized comments or the handling of the Uvalde assignment. Furthermore, it is currently unknown whether Said attempted to resolve these issues through internal HR channels before the filing.
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