FBI will pay $22.6 million to settle female trainees' sex bias claims

The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to pay $22.6 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. The settlement, which must be approved by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., would resolve a 2019 class action claiming the FBI, which is part of the Justice Department, had a widespread practice of forcing out female trainees. Along with the payout, the proposed settlement would allow eligible class members to seek reinstatement to the agent training program and require the FBI to hire outside experts to ensure that its evaluation process for trainees is fair.