It is important to emphasize that the allegations remain allegations. No court has ruled that Gutman committed harassment or any other wrongdoing described in the complaint.
According to the lawsuit, Said was assigned to a male-dominated field team that included Gutman and two other male crew members. One alleged incident involved a conversation about the physical appearance of another female correspondent.
“While the team waited in a public queue during the assignment, 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 male crew joined in, continuing to assess the woman’s body and looks in Said’s presence,” the complaint alleges. “The men attempted to draw Said into the conversation by soliciting her views. Said declined and stated the conversation was inappropriate.”
The lawsuit describes another alleged encounter during a press day connected to a movie release. Said and Gutman reportedly disagreed over whether the crew should leave the work location.
According to the filing, Gutman allegedly responded in front of colleagues by suggesting Said had an after-hours date and implying that was the reason she did not want to relocate.
“ 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. The remark, made audibly to others, demeaned Said and reduced her professional judgment to a sexualized stereotype,” the filing states.
Those two encounters are central to the harassment allegations against Gutman. But Said’s lawsuit goes considerably further, alleging that she faced broader workplace difficulties involving medical leave, accommodations and retaliation.
The complaint says Said experienced depression and psychological effects associated with trauma. She allegedly sought medical leave after covering the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas — an assignment that was among the most emotionally difficult stories covered by journalists across the country.
ABC News records confirm that Said reported from Uvalde during the aftermath of the shooting.
According to her lawsuit, Said requested leave following the assignment, but her request was initially denied. The complaint says a psychiatrist subsequently certified that she needed medical leave from August 2022 through January 2023.
After returning to work, Said allegedly requested accommodations designed to help her avoid trauma-related triggers. She claims those requests were not adequately addressed.
The lawsuit further alleges that she was later reassigned to weekend desk shifts. It also describes a separate workplace injury involving a bone contusion to her foot while she was covering weather-related events. A company physician allegedly determined that the injury did not require additional leave.
Said says her employment ultimately ended on March 5, 2025. According to the complaint, the meeting was presented as a routine check-in before she was terminated.
Her lawsuit seeks general and special damages, exemplary damages, interest, attorneys’ fees, litigation costs and other relief. The filing also requests a jury trial.
ABC News, Disney and Gutman have not publicly addressed the allegations in the complaint, according to reports published after the filing. CBS News likewise has declined to comment while the allegations are being reviewed.
The timing of the lawsuit is particularly notable because Gutman has been enjoying a high-profile moment at CBS.
After leaving ABC News following nearly three decades in the business, Gutman joined CBS News as chief correspondent in January 2026. CBS announced that he would report for “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Evening News,” serve as a lead correspondent for “48 Hours,” contribute to “60 Minutes” and fill in as an anchor on the network’s flagship broadcasts.
That fill-in role has recently produced an unexpected ratings story.
With regular “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil away, Gutman stepped into the anchor chair. During the week of July 27, the program averaged approximately 4.1 million viewers — its best weekly performance in 17 weeks, according to Nielsen data reported by the New York Post. Gutman also reportedly drew more than 100,000 additional viewers compared with Dokoupil during the comparable period.
The ratings development has naturally fueled speculation about the future of the program. But it now comes against the backdrop of a lawsuit that could create an uncomfortable situation for Gutman and the network.
For CBS, the controversy arrives at a particularly sensitive moment. The network has been undergoing major changes while attempting to rebuild the audience for its flagship evening broadcast. CBS itself reported that the program averaged 3.9 million viewers during the second quarter of 2026, up 1% year over year.
Gutman’s strong showing as a substitute therefore gives CBS another factor to consider as it evaluates its evening-news lineup.
For now, however, the legal dispute remains at the allegation stage. Said has made extensive claims against her former employer and several individuals, while Gutman and the companies named in the lawsuit have not publicly offered their side of the story.
As the case moves forward, the allegations will face scrutiny in court — and the media industry will be watching closely to see whether the lawsuit becomes a larger controversy for one of CBS News’ newest high-profile correspondents.
