FBI to pay $22 million 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 female recruits were singled out for dismissal in training and routinely harassed by instructors with sexually charged comments about their breast size, false allegations of infidelity and the need to take contraception “to control their moods.”

The payout to 34 women dismissed from the FBI’s training academy in Quantico, Va., which is subject to approval by a federal judge, would rank among the bureau’s biggest lawsuit settlements.

“These problems are pervasive within the FBI and the attitudes that created them were learned at the academy,” said David J. Shaffer, the lawyer for the women. “This case will make important major changes in these attitudes.”

Filed in 2019, the lawsuit contends that female recruits had been subjected to a hostile working environment in which they were judged more harshly than their male peers and “excessively targeted for correction and dismissal in tactical situations for perceived lack of judgment” and subjective “suitability” criteria.

One of the women said she was admonished to “smile more” and subjected to repeated sexual advances. Another said that an instructor leered at her and stared at her chest, “sometimes while licking his lips.”

“Through passive tolerance,” the lawsuit said, “the FBI has intentionally allowed the Good Old Boy Network to flourish unrestrained at the FBI Academy.”

The FBI did not immediately comment on the settlement. Many of the allegations in the lawsuit were confirmed in a 2022 internal watchdog report. Men still make up some three-quarters of the bureau’s special agents despite efforts to diversify in recent years.

Among the provisions of the settlement was that the FBI would offer the plaintiffs a chance to continue training toward becoming agents and “guaranteed placement,” for those who pass, in one of their top three preferred field offices. The bureau also has agreed to a review by outside experts who will work to ensure that female recruits face a fair evaluation process.

Some of the women have moved on to other careers, Shaffer said, adding “the FBI has deprived itself of some genuinely exceptional talent.”

Paula Bird, a lead plaintiff in the case who is now a lawyer, said that although the experience has been “disillusioning,” she was “pleased that this settlement will bring a measure of justice to the women who were unfairly dismissed.”

The lawsuit came amid a flurry of sexual misconduct claims that included several against senior FBI officials identified in an Associated Press investigation who quietly left the bureau with full benefits even after allegations against them were substantiated. Those claims included unwanted touching and advances as well as coercion. In one case, an FBI assistant director retired after the inspector general’s office concluded that he harassed a female subordinate and sought an improper relationship with her.

In response to AP’s reporting, the FBI announced a series of reforms, including a 24/7 tip line, intended to take a tougher stand against agents found to have committed misconduct and help accusers.

The latest settlement comes less than six months after the Justice Department announced a $138.7-million settlement with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against the sports doctor Larry Nassar.

Mustian writes for the Associated Press.