CBS is moving to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a former writer on the upcoming Matlock reboot, forcefully denying allegations of racial and sexual harassment as fabrications and outright lies.
The legal battle centers on claims made by John Lowe against showrunner Jennie Urman Snyder, producers Nicki Renna and Jeffrey Lieber, and CBS Studios.
Original Lawsuit Alleges Hostile Work Environment
Filed in June in Los Angeles Superior Court, Lowe’s complaint seeks unspecified damages. The suit alleges that Snyder and producers allowed sexually explicit and discriminatory conduct
to fester on set. Specific accusations include Snyder referring to the Juneteenth holiday with a racial slur and another producer making a sexually suggestive late-night phone call to Lowe.
CBS Counters with Anti-SLAPP Motion to Strike
In a stern rejection filed on the eve of the 2026-2027 TV season, CBS’s legal team—representing CBS Studios, Snyder, Renna, and Lieber—argues that Lowe’s termination claims implicate California’s anti-SLAPP statute. The defense asserts that the allegations that he was unlawfully terminated as a writer on Matlock and that he is entitled to recover lost wages implicate California’s anti-SLAPP statute and support the instant motion to strike because Defendants’ decision to not reengage Lowe as a writer was a creative decision in furtherance of their exercise of free speech on a matter of public interest.
Defense Disputes Timeline and Specific Claims
The response provides specific employment dates, stating Lowe was hired in October 2023 and departed in July 2024—not July 2025 as implied in the complaint. CBS’s legal team contends Snyder never used the alleged racial slur and that no witnesses corroborate the claim.
Furthermore, the filing characterizes the lawsuit as retaliatory. CBS’s legal team wrote, Lowe was never subjected to race or sex harassment as he claims, and as this case progresses, Defendants are confident that Plaintiff’s malicious and unsupported attacks will be publicly exposed for what they are: retaliation by a desperate man who was not renewed as a writer because his performance deficiencies detrimentally impacted CBS’ ability to convey the messages it desired.
CBS Studios Stands by Producers After Investigation
A CBS Studios spokesperson reinforced the network’s position, citing a thorough internal investigation.
As stated in the motion and following a thorough investigation, we are confident that Lowe’s accusations are demonstrably inaccurate and maliciously fabricated, and will not allow them to go unchallenged.
False allegations are deeply damaging, both to those wrongly accused, and to anyone with a serious and legitimate claim of discrimination. We stand firmly behind our producers and look forward to the truth coming to light.
