DOJ and Former Female FBI Agent Trainees Reach $22.6M Settlement in Sex Discrimination Lawsuit

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Justice today agreed to a $22.6 million settlement, resolving a class action sex discrimination lawsuit on behalf of 34 women who were wrongfully dismissed from the FBI’s agent training academy. In addition to monetary relief, DOJ has committed to working with identified experts to undertake review and reform of the FBI training policies and programs challenged as discriminatory in the lawsuit.

Central to today’s settlement are allegations of a systemic practice of sex discrimination at the FBI training academy in Quantico, Virginia, that led to the disproportionate dismissal of female FBI agent trainees as compared to their male counterparts. The former female trainees noted instructors perceived them as being “weak and prone to failure” and consistently gave them lower performance ratings for mistakes that were ignored when made by their male counterparts.

In the underlying complaint, female FBI intelligence analyst trainees also detailed their experiences with pervasive sex harassment by their instructors, field counselors, and male classmates that included sexual jokes, invasive comments about physical appearance and pressure to engage in sexual activity. The sex harassment claims were not part of the class-wide issues addressed in today’s settlement.

The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, housed at the National Women’s Law Center, financially supported attorney David J. Shaffer, who first filed this class action and later brought on the law firm Cohen Milstein as co-counsel. The Fund assists survivors of workplace sex harassment and retaliation.

“The FBI’s perpetuation of the myth that women are less capable than men to become agents is emblematic of the sex discrimination that persists in many male-dominated professions and sends a dangerous message that sex discrimination is permissible,” said Jennifer Mondino, senior director of the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund. “For years, qualified women training to become FBI agents were undervalued and forced out simply because of their sex. But now, because this group of brave women exposed the FBI’s toxic culture of discrimination, the FBI will finally be required to start leveling the playing field for women. We’re proud that we could support this group of women in bringing this groundbreaking class action lawsuit.”

The women in the lawsuit underwent training at the FBI’s academy between 2015-2024 and were discharged just weeks before they were scheduled to graduate. Pending court approval, the settlement allows the plaintiffs to seek reinstatement into the FBI training program. Although the FBI has not admitted responsibility, the settlement requires the FBI to pay for and cooperate with outside, independent expert review of its policies, procedures, and methods for evaluating its trainees.

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