USDA, Ex-Farm Loan Specialist Agree to End Bias, Retaliation Row

Oct. 22, 2025, 7:28 PM UTC

A former US Department of Agriculture employee is dropping her allegations that she faced a sex-based hostile work environment and retaliation for speaking up about bias at the agency.

The plaintiff, who worked for the USDA’s Farm Services Agency as a loan specialist, filed a stipulation of dismissal ending with prejudice her lawsuit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to a Tuesday filing in the US District Court for the District of Kansas. Each side will bear its own costs and attorneys’ fees, the stipulation said.

  • Plaintiff Brooke Austin—a transgender woman, lesbian, and disabled veteran—alleges ...

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