eBay and three former executives settled a civil lawsuit by agreeing to pay close to $56 million to Ina and David Steiner, who run the EcommerceBytes newsletter. The settlement resolves claims related to a targeted harassment and cyberstalking campaign carried out in 2019 to intimidate the couple and stop their critical coverage of eBay [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The harassment included deliveries of live cockroaches, spiders, fly larvae, a bloody pig mask, a funeral wreath, pornographic magazines, and attempts to install a GPS tracker on the Steiners’ car. These acts were part of a coordinated effort to intimidate the couple [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Seven former eBay employees were criminally charged in 2020 for their roles in the campaign. All pled guilty and received prison sentences ranging from one to five years. Separately, eBay pleaded guilty and paid a $3 million criminal fine during 2023 and 2024 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Former eBay CEO Devin Wenig agreed to pay $2 million as part of the settlement. He also will contribute an additional $1 million to a First Amendment rights charity named after Ina Steiner. Former Senior Vice President Wendy Jones agreed to pay $500,000, while former Chief Communications Officer Steve Wymer will pay $50,000. eBay will pay $46.15 million in compensation and contribute $6 million to various charities [1, 2, 3, 4].
Ina Steiner said, "David and I officially settled the lawsuit we filed in 2021 against eBay and its former executives over the stalking and harassment campaign we endured in 2019 designed to stop our reporting" [1]. eBay stated, "What the Steiners were subjected to by former eBay employees in 2019 was wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened. We condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the employees who perpetrated and pled guilty to criminal charges for the misconduct against Ina and David Steiner" [2].
David Steiner commented, "It’s a relief in some sense that we have some finality, but I think that it’s going to take a while to really see what this means in the bigger context of a settlement, versus having gone to trial" [4]. Their attorney, Chris Murphy, said, "From day one, that was a dealbreaker. As journalists, and as victims, the Steiners were very clear that they wanted everyone to see and understand what eBay did to them" [4].
The settlement requires eBay to publicly condemn the actions of the former employees and acknowledge the company culture issues in 2019 [1, 4].
The harassment campaign began in 2019, targeting the Steiners with various intimidation tactics to halt their negative coverage of eBay. The criminal charges against former employees came in 2020. The Steiners filed their civil suit in 2021. eBay pleaded guilty to related charges and paid a criminal penalty in 2023/2024. The settlement was reached in July 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
