FBI to pay $A32m to settle sexual discrimination claims

The FBI has agreed to pay more than $A32 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, Virginia, still subject to approval by a federal judge, would rank among the biggest lawsuit settlements in the history of the bureau.

"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 judgement" 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 FBI has intentionally allowed the 'Good Old Boy' network to flourish unrestrained at the FBI Academy," the lawsuit said.

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."