FBI to pay $22M to settle claims of sexual discrimination at training academy
WASHINGTON — The FBI has agreed to pay more than $22 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that female recruits were fired during their training and routinely harassed by instructors with sexually suggestive comments about their breast size, false accusations of infidelity and the need for contraception ‘to control their mood’.
The payout to 34 women dismissed from the FBI’s training academy in Quantico, Virginia, which must still be approved by a federal judge, would be among the largest lawsuits in the bureau’s history.
“These problems are pervasive within the FBI, and the attitudes that created these problems were learned at the academy,” said David J. Shaffer, the women’s attorney. “This case will bring about significant major changes in these attitudes.”
The lawsuit, filed in 2019, alleges that female recruits were exposed to a hostile work environment in which they were judged more harshly than their male counterparts and were “excessively focused on correction and dismissal in tactical situations due to perceived lack of judgment” and subjective “suitability.” criteria.
One of the women said she was urged to “smile more” and was subjected to repeated sexual advances. Another said an instructor leered at her and stared at her chest, “sometimes while licking his lips.”
“Through passive tolerance,” the lawsuit said, “the FBI deliberately allowed the Good Old Boy Network to flourish unchecked at the FBI Academy.”
The FBI did not immediately comment on the settlement. Many of the allegations in the lawsuit were confirmed in 2022 internal watchdog report. Men still make up about three-quarters of the bureau’s special agents, despite efforts to diversify in recent years.
One of the terms of the settlement was that the FBI would offer plaintiffs an opportunity to continue their training as agents and a “guaranteed placement” for those who pass, in one of their three preferred field offices. The agency has also agreed to a review by outside experts that will ensure female recruits undergo a fair evaluation process.
Some women have moved on to other careers, Shaffer said, adding that “the FBI has robbed itself of a truly exceptional talent.”
Paula Bird, a lead plaintiff in the case and now an attorney, said that while the experience was “disappointing,” she was “pleased that this settlement will bring some measure of justice to the women who were wrongfully fired.”
The lawsuit came amid a wave of sexual misconduct claims within the bureau, including several claims against senior FBI officials named in a report Associated Press investigation who quietly left the agency with all the benefits even after the charges against them were substantiated. Those claims ranged from unwanted touching and advances to coercion. In one case, an FBI deputy director retired after the inspector general’s office concluded that he had harassed a female subordinate and sought an inappropriate relationship with her.
In response to AP’s reporting, the FBI issued a… series of reformsincluding a 24/7 tip line designed to take tougher action against officers who have committed misconduct and to assist prosecutors.
The latest settlement comes less than six months after the Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement with more than 100 people accusing the FBI of grossly mishandling sexual assault allegations against the sports doctor Larry Nassar.