Overview
- The complaint, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, names Matt Gutman, ABC News and The Walt Disney Company and seeks compensatory and punitive damages plus attorneys’ fees.
- Said alleges two specific incidents when she worked with Gutman: a conversation that rated a female correspondent’s appearance and a separate sexualized insinuation about Said in front of coworkers.
- The lawsuit says Said developed severe psychological symptoms after covering the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, was granted medical leave from August 2022 through January 2023, and that ABC denied her psychiatrist‑recommended accommodations after she returned.
- Said contends denied accommodations led to demotion and eventual termination on March 5, 2025, and that a workplace injury in 2025 was not treated as requiring leave, according to the filing.
- Gutman has denied the harassment claims, CBS/ABC/Disney have not offered substantive public responses, and the case is at an early stage where discovery and motions will determine what evidence is revealed and the networks’ reputational risk.