John Lowe, a former writer on “Matlock,” filed a lawsuit against CBS Television Studios, showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman and executive producers Nicki Renna and Jeffrey Lieber on Wednesday. He 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.”
Lowe, who worked on “Matlock” from October 2023 to July 2025, claims 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 the lawsuit, Lowe lists multiple sexual and racially charged comments. He also details an alleged incident when 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.” Lowe claims he was coerced into taking the dog for nearly a year, while other staff were present, a move he feels “was racially motivated and designed to single him out for humiliation based on his race, not for any creative or production reason.”
In a statement, CBS Studios said it had investigated the allegations and found they were not substantiated.
