A writer on CBS’ hit series Matlock has sued CBS Television Studios, alleging the show’s top producers created a hostile work environment marked by racist and sexually explicit comments.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, writer John Lowe filed the lawsuit Wednesday in California state court against CBS Television Studios, Matlock showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman and executive producers Nicki Renna and Jeffrey Lieber. The complaint seeks unspecified damages and includes claims for hostile work environment and failure to prevent harassment.
Lowe, who was hired as an executive story editor on Matlock in October 2023 after working on Netflix’s Virgin River, alleges that the writers’ room was “permeated by sexually explicit and discriminatory conduct.” Before moving into scripted television, Lowe worked in casting on several reality series, including Survivor, Project Runway, and Under the Gun.
“It’s vicious in a writer’s room as a Black creative,” Lowe told The Hollywood Reporter. “You’re either treated like a threat or a pet.”
CBS Studios denied the allegations in a statement. “We are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for everyone and take all workplace complaints seriously,” a CBS Studios spokesperson said. “In this instance, a thorough investigation was completed, and we were unable to find support for his allegations. We look forward to defending this lawsuit.”
In the complaint, Lowe alleges that comments directed at him were both sexual and racially demeaning. According to the lawsuit, he was told shortly after joining the show that his shoe size and race meant he was “well-endowed down there.” The complaint also alleges that he was subjected to comments about his sex life, including a question about “how he handled a man’s genitals.”
The lawsuit also claims that Urman brought her dog into the writers’ room, said her children no longer wanted it, and then pressured Lowe into keeping the dog for nearly a year. Lowe alleges the situation was “racially motivated harassment and an exercise of supervisory power designed to burden him.”
“She said, ‘as long as you have this dog, you’ll always have a place here,’” Lowe told THR.
The complaint further alleges that Renna made racially charged comments about Black cast members, including allegedly saying that recurring cast member Eme Ikwuakor “can barely read.” Lowe also alleges that Renna called him late at night and said she was in bed wearing only her underwear.
According to the lawsuit, the situation escalated in June 2025 when Lowe asked Urman whether the writers’ room would observe Juneteenth. Urman allegedly referred to the holiday as “Coonteenth.”
“I had prayed for this moment, to be on a Paramount film set,” Lowe told THR, adding that he spent the following work week crying in empty soundstages. “She said it on purpose as a way of letting me know that she owns me to a degree.”
Lowe alleges he was placed on hiatus shortly after the incident and terminated in July, less than two weeks after raising concerns about how the writers’ room was being managed. The lawsuit claims his firing was retaliatory.
“There is no excuse for this blatant racism and harassment,” said Ron Zambrano, Lowe’s attorney. “CBS should be ashamed for allowing it, and the Matlock showrunner and producers should be held accountable.”
Matlock has been one of CBS’ breakout performers. The series, a meta-update of the classic legal drama starring Andy Griffith, stars Kathy Bates as Madeline Matlock, a lawyer who restarts her career at a New York firm. The cast also includes Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, and Leah Lewis.
According to THR, the lawsuit comes after Matlock actor David Del Rio was abruptly fired from the production following a sexual assault allegation involving an unnamed female cast member. Del Rio later initiated arbitration against CBS Studios, alleging evidence undermining the claims against him was not fully considered before his termination.
The case now adds another serious workplace allegation to a series that has become a major success for CBS, placing renewed scrutiny on the environment behind one of the network’s most visible dramas.
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