The FBI is set to pay over $22 million to settle a class action lawsuit in which multiple female recruits have alleged discriminatory and sexist treatment at the bureau's Quantico, Virginia training facility.
The lawsuit, which was filed by 34 women in 2019, states that female trainees in the FBI were subjected to "outdated gender stereotypes", "excessively targeted for correction", "constructively discharged," and even dismissed in tactical situations due to a "perceived lack of judgment".
The settlement, which according to the Associated Press is still subject to approval from a federal judge, will go to all the women who filed complaints.
"I think this is an extraordinary settlement and one that may make a real change in the culture of the FBI," said David J. Schaffer, an attorney for the female recruits. "The sexist attitudes that women experience throughout the Bureau start from the beginning."
One of the plaintiffs said she was told to "smile more", while another reported that someone at the facility stared at her chest "sometimes while licking his lips."
"These problems are pervasive within the FBI and the attitudes that created them were learned at the academy," said Shaffer. "This case will make important major changes in these attitudes."
In 2022, the Bureau released an internal watchdog report which confirmed many of the complaints listed in the lawsuit.
In a statement released on Monday, the FBI said they have "taken significant steps over the past five years to further ensure gender equity in the training and development of all our trainees."
The settlement would also allow the 34 women to continue training towards becoming agents if they chose to, along with guaranteeing placement for them in one of their top 3 preferred field offices if they pass. However, some of the women have already advanced towards other career opportunities.
"The FBI has deprived itself of some genuinely exceptional talent," Shaffer concluded.
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