‘Matlock’ writer sues CBS over alleged racist and sexist comments

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A lawsuit has been filed against CBS Television Studios by a writer at Matlockwho accuses the show’s higher-ups of making derogatory sexist and racist comments about him and other black cast and crew members.

Writer John Lowe claims in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in California state court that MatlockThe showrunner and executive producers created a hostile work environment “punctuated by sexually explicit and discriminatory behavior.” He was fired after allegedly reporting an incident in which his supervisor referred to Juneteenth as “Coonteenth.”

“It’s evil in the writers’ room as a black creator,” Lowe says in an interview. Hollywood Reporter. “You will either be treated as a threat or as a pet.”

The lawsuit names CBS Television Studios, Matlock Showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman and executive producers Nikki Rinna and Jeffrey Leiber. He is seeking unspecified damages and is suing for a hostile work environment and failure to prevent harassment.

“We are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for everyone and take all complaints in the workplace seriously,” a CBS Studios spokesperson said in a statement. “In this case, a thorough investigation has been completed, and we have been unable to find support for his claims. We look forward to vigorously defending this lawsuit.”

Lowe was named executive story editor for Matlock In October 2023 after a writing stint on Netflix Virgin River. For years before that, he worked in the casting department for several reality shows, including… Survivor, Runway Project and Under the gun.

Orman was portrayed as a central figure in the complaint along with her assistants Reyna and Lepper.

In the lawsuit, Lowe details a series of sexual comments directed at him that were also meant to be racially offensive. He was told shortly after they started having sex that his shoe size and race meant he was “well endowed down there,” one of several alleged comments about his sex life that included a question about “how he handles a man’s genitals,” according to the complaint.

The lawsuit cites an incident in which Orman brought her dog into the writers’ room, declaring that her children no longer wanted it. She forced Lowe to keep her for about a year, according to the complaint. The writer claims the request 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 says.

According to the complaint, the racially charged comments reached the cast. On one occasion, Rinna allegedly stated that Emi Ekwokor, a recurring black cast member, “can barely read.” In another incident, she allegedly called Lowe late at night and told him she was in bed wearing only her underwear, the lawsuit alleges.

The situation reached a boiling point in June 2025 when Louie Orman asked if the writers room would celebrate Juneteenth. She responded by calling the day “Coonteenth,” the lawsuit claims.

“I prayed for this moment, to be on the set of a Paramount movie,” Lowe says, adding that he spent the subsequent work week crying in empty soundstages. “She said that on purpose as a way to let me know that she owns me to some extent.”

Shortly after, Lowe was put on hiatus. He says he was fired in July, less than two weeks after concerns were raised about the way the writers’ room was being run. The lawsuit alleges his firing was retaliation.

The lawsuit comes after that Matlock Actor David Del Rio was abruptly fired from the production on charges of sexual assault in an incident involving him and an unnamed female cast member.

Earlier this year, Del Rio began arbitration against CBS Studios. He claimed that evidence undermining the allegations against him was not fully considered before his dismissal.

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