On the eve of the 2026-2027 TV season, CBS is seeking to dismiss a scathing lawsuit brought by an ex-writer for Matlock, claiming that the scribe’s allegations of racial and sexual harassment are “fabrications and outright lies.”
Back in June, John Lowe claimed in an unspecified damages seeking filing that showrunner Jennie Urman Snyder and producers allowed “sexually explicit and discriminatory conduct” to fester. Among other things, the suit in L.A. Superior Court alleged that Snyder referred to the Juneteenth holiday with a racial slur, and that another producer made a sexually suggestive late-night call to him.
Now, CBS’s legal team — representing CBS Studios and other defendants Snyder, Nicki Renna and Jeffrey Lieber — have responded to Lowe and his lawyers with a stern rejection of the claims. They assert 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.”
Getting specific, for instance, CBS’ legal team wrote that Lowe was hired on the Kathy Bates-starrer in October, 2023 and departed in July, 2024, and not in July, 2025. They pointed to Snyder never using the claimed racial slur and that others did not witness it.
CBS’ 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.”
A CBS Studios spokesperson said, “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.”
