What are Samira Said's demands? All on ex-ABC News journalist's sexual harassment lawsuit against Matt Gutman

Samira Said, ex-field producer for ABC News, has come forward with a lawsuit against CBS's Matt Gutman, accusing him of making inappropriate sexual comments.

Published on: Aug 15, 2026, 21:06:53 IST

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Samira Said, who previously worked as a field producer for ABC News, has come into the public eye following her lawsuit against CBS News correspondent Matt Gutman, alleging that he made inappropriate sexual remarks during assignments several years ago.

What are Samira Said's demands?

Said's claims against Gutman are included in a broader legal case against ABC News and its parent organization, The Walt Disney Co. She is pursuing both compensatory and punitive damages, in addition to attorneys' fees.

The legal action was initiated in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, August 14, listing Gutman, ABC News, and Disney as defendants.

Gutman has not been charged with any criminal activity, and the claims made in the lawsuit have yet to be proven in court.

Said served as a field producer for ABC News for around four years, mainly based in the network's Los Angeles bureau. Publicly accessible professional records suggest that her tenure at ABC spanned from May 2021 to March 2025.

What was Samira Said's role at ABC News? All on her complaints against Matt Gutman

In her role as a producer, she was instrumental behind the scenes during significant news assignments, assisting correspondents and crews in covering urgent stories.

Currently, her lawsuit claims that two encounters with Gutman contributed to a hostile work environment.

According to the complaint, an incident occurred while Said and Gutman were queuing in a public setting during an assignment.

It is alleged that Gutman started to talk about the looks of a female correspondent, assigning her a numerical score based on her physical attributes.

Gutman “initiated a discussion rating a female correspondent’s appearance and reducing her professional standing to a numerical score based on her physical attributes,” the lawsuit states.

Other team members allegedly participated in the conversation and urged Said to engage as well. She asserts that she declined and informed them that the discussion was unsuitable.

A second purported incident occurred while Said and Gutman were attending a press event related to a movie. The two are said to have had a disagreement regarding whether they should depart from the venue.

Neither Gutman nor ABC has made any public statements regarding the details of the accusations, other than to refrain from commenting until they have reviewed the complaint.

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