FBI will pay $29.1m to settle female trainees' sex bias claims

The US Department of Justice has agreed to pay US$22.6 million (S$29.1 million) to settle a lawsuit by 34 women who claim they were wrongly dismissed from the FBI's agent training academy because of their sex, according to a court filing on Monday (Sept 30).

The settlement, which must be approved by a federal judge in Washington, would resolve a 2019 class action claiming the FBI, which is part of the Justice Department, had a widespread practise of forcing out female trainees.

The plaintiffs say that they were found unsuitable to graduate from the training academy even though they performed as well as, or better than, many male trainees on academic, physical fitness, and firearms tests. Some of them also say they were subjected to sexual harassment and sexist jokes and comments.

Along with the payout, the proposed settlement would allow eligible class members to seek reinstatement to the agent training programme and require the FBI to hire outside experts to ensure that its evaluation process for trainees is fair.

The FBI, which has denied wrongdoing, declined to comment on the settlement but in a statement said it has taken significant steps over the past five years to ensure gender equity in agent training.

Christine Webber, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the settlement reflects "a genuine desire by the FBI to turn the page on the past history of discrimination in new agent training."

The lawsuit accused the FBI of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars workplace discrimination based on sex and other characteristics.

In response to the lawsuit, the Justice Department's internal watchdog released a report in 2022 finding that female FBI trainees were disproportionately likely to be dismissed and to be cited for conduct "unsuitable" for an agent.

Less than one-quarter of FBI special agents are women, the agency said in a report issued in April.

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