The FBI agreed to pay over $22 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over sexual discrimination toward women at the Quantico, Virginia, training facility. If approved by a federal judge, the lawsuit would rank as one of the biggest settlements in the history of the FBI.
The payout is to 34 women who were allegedly singled out, dismissed from the training facility, sexually harassed by instructors, accused of infidelity, and told they needed contraception to “control their moods.”
The lawsuit was originally filed in 2019 and claimed that women were subjected to hostility at work and treatment that their male co-workers were not experiencing. One woman said she was told to “smile more” and had to turn down numerous sexual advances. Another woman said an instructor would stare at her chest, “sometimes while licking his lips.”
An explosive Associated Press report in 2020 alleged that senior FBI officials were accused of sexual misconduct with female subordinates and avoided serious consequences. “Through passive tolerance, the FBI has intentionally allowed the Good Old Boy Network to flourish unrestrained at the FBI academy,” the lawsuit states.
The settlement requires that the FBI provide the women the opportunity to finish their training and, for those who pass, receive “guaranteed placement” to one of their top three preferred field offices. The bureau also agreed to have outside experts review the work environment to ensure female recruits receive a fair evaluation process.
The bureau has not commented on the settlement, though many allegations were confirmed by a watchdog report from the Department of Justice.
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In response to the Associated Press’s investigation, the FBI announced it would be implementing a series of reforms, including a 24-hour tip line to ensure people feel secure reporting agents who have committed sexual misconduct.
“These problems are pervasive within the FBI, and the attitudes that created them were learned at the academy,” said David Shaffer, the lawyer for the women. “This case will make important major changes in these attitudes.”