A former ABC News field producer, Samira Said, has filed a lawsuit against CBS News chief correspondent Matt Gutman, ABC News, The Walt Disney Co., and an ABC bureau chief. Said alleges that Gutman made sexualized workplace comments and that ABC later fired her after denying medical accommodations related to trauma from covering the Uvalde school massacre.
Allegations Against Gutman
Said claims that Gutman initiated a conversation about another female correspondent while Said worked on an all-male team, rating the correspondent’s appearance and reducing her professional standing to a numerical score based on her physical attributes. The male crew joined in, continuing to assess the woman’s body and looks in Said’s presence.
A second alleged incident occurred during a movie-release press event, when Said and Gutman disagreed over whether their team should leave the work site. Gutman responded by making a sexualized insinuation that Said must have an after-hours date in the city and that this is why she did not want to relocate.
Lawsuit Against ABC and Disney
The allegations against Gutman are part of a broader lawsuit in which Said accused ABC and Disney of discrimination, retaliation, failing to accommodate her medical conditions, and wrongfully terminating her. Said worked in ABC News’ Los Angeles bureau from May 2021 until March 2025.
Said alleged that she was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms when management urged her to cover the May 2022 mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Her assignment included interviewing children who witnessed their classmates and teachers being killed, after which she said she experienced severe psychological symptoms.
A psychiatrist later cleared Said to return from medical leave with accommodations, but she alleged that then-Los Angeles bureau chief David Herndon would not permit a restricted schedule. Said was subsequently moved to weekend desk shifts and later assigned to cover hazardous weather events in the city, during which heavy equipment allegedly struck her foot and caused a bone contusion.
ABC terminated Said during a routine meeting on March 5, 2025. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and a jury trial.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
