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CBS Studios has filed a motion in Los Angeles Superior Court under the anti-SLAPP statute to strike a lawsuit filed earlier this summer by former “Matlock” writer John Lowe. The CBS Studios filing included multiple
declarations disputing his allegations against three of the show’s executive producers.
Lowe’s suit against CBS Studios, showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman and executive producers Nicki Renna and Jeffrey Lieber alleged that “racially stereotyped comments about his body and genitalia” were made toward him and other Black cast and crew members, creating a “hostile work environment.”
In its filing, the studio threw its full support behind Urman, Renna and Lieber, while countering many of Lowe’s allegations. Lowe’s attorney Ron Zambrano told Variety that they had not yet been served the motion yet, so he couldn’t comment on the specifics, while writing, “But I am confident we will successfully oppose the motion as the complaint was drafted with that possibility in mind.”
“We take allegations of discrimination and harassment very seriously,” a CBS Studios spokesperson said. “Today, with the filing of our motion to strike, we took our first step toward challenging the baseless complaint filed by former ‘Matlock’ writer John Lowe. 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,” the spokesperson added. “We stand firmly behind our producers and look forward to the truth coming to light.”
In his lawsuit, Lowe — who worked on “Matlock” from October 2023 to July 2024 (as CBS Studios noted, not in 2025, as Lowe’s complaint stated) — claimed he was terminated from his position as a form of retaliation, as it came two weeks after reporting an alleged incident in which Urman referred to Juneteenth as “Coonteenth.”
In declarations, Urman, Renna, Lieber and other witnesses disputed this, and said that Urman “never used that word (and) did not say it to Ms. Renna, to Lowe, or to anyone else.”
Lowe had also in his complaint detailed an alleged incident claiming that Urman brought in her dog to the writers’ room, “citing that her children ‘didn’t like the aesthetic’ — referring to the dog’s black color.” He claimed he was coerced into taking the dog for nearly a year, while other staff were present, a move he felt “was racially motivated and designed to single him out for humiliation based on his race, not for any creative or production reason.”
In declaration, Urman, Renna and Lieber said it wasn’t Urman’s dog, nor did she place it on Lowe’s lap or comment on the dog’s appearance, nor was she present when Lowe asked to adopt the dog.
As for Lowe’s claims that Renna said Black cast member Eme Ikwuakor “can barely read” and allegedly called Lowe late at night and said she “was in bed wearing only her underwear,” the producers said in their declarations that Lowe made it up.
And regarding Lowe’s allegations of sexually charged comments, the producers declared that “Lowe’s sexuality or his sex life was never questioned, nor was his body ever commented on.”
Meanwhile, in her declaration, Urman said that in January 2026 — 18 months after his departure from “Matlock” — Lowe sent an email to Urman demanding $10,000. Urman said she reported the email to the company’s HR representative, and that Lowe’s first complaint to the company’s HR representative came after that demand for $10,000 and after Urman had contacted HR about it.
Back in June, CBS Studios said it had investigated the allegations and didn’t find any merit to them: “We are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for everyone and take all workplace complaints seriously,” a company spokesperson said at the time. “In this instance, a thorough investigation was completed, and we were unable to find support for his allegations. We look forward to vigorously defending this lawsuit.”
At the same time, Lowe’s attorney, Ron Zambrano, sent this statement: “There is no excuse for this blatant racism and harassment. CBS should be ashamed for allowing it, and the ‘Matlock’ showrunner and producers should be held accountable. Mr. Lowe was subjected to degrading and unlawful conduct. He deserved to be treated with dignity and respect, as everyone should expect in the workplace, not subjected to these outrageous and illegal racial slurs and sexual harassment without any connection to his work on the show.”
In the filing, CBS Studios said Lowe’s complaint was “filled with fabrications and outright lies that it resembles a grotesque work of fiction more than a court pleading. 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.”
