FBI to Pay $22 Million to Settle Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

The FBI has agreed to a settlement of over $22 million in a class-action lawsuit that accused the agency of gender discrimination at its training academy. The lawsuit claimed that female recruits faced targeted dismissals and harassment, including sexually charged comments about their bodies, false accusations of infidelity, and inappropriate suggestions regarding contraception.

This settlement, which must still be approved by a federal judge, could be one of the largest in the FBI’s history, affecting 34 women who were dismissed from the Quantico, Virginia academy, as reported by Xinhua News citing the Associated Press (AP).

David J. Shaffer, the attorney representing the women, stated, “These problems are pervasive within the FBI, and the attitudes that created them were learned at the academy. This case will lead to significant changes in these attitudes.”

Filed in 2019, the lawsuit alleged that female recruits endured a hostile environment, being judged more harshly than their male counterparts and excessively targeted for correction and dismissal based on perceived shortcomings in judgment and subjective suitability criteria.