eBay, $55.7M Settlement in Harassment Campaign Case
Original: Ebay Has to Pay $55.7 Million in Settlement for Its Unhinged Harassment Campaign
Why This Matters
The case sets a precedent for corporate accountability in tech-directed harassment of press critics.
eBay agreed to a $55.7 million civil settlement with David and Ina Steiner, founders of EcommerceBytes, over a 2019 harassment campaign involving doxing, threats, and live pest deliveries. Former CEO Devin Wenig will pay $2 million personally. The settlement includes no confidentiality clause.
eBay has reached a final civil settlement totaling over $55.7 million with David and Ina Steiner, founders of Massachusetts-based ecommerce news site EcommerceBytes, resolving a lawsuit stemming from a 2019 corporate harassment campaign. The Steiners will receive more than $46.15 million from eBay directly, $2 million from former CEO Devin Wenig, $500,000 from former executive Wendy Jones, and $50,000 from former executive Steve Wymer. eBay is also donating $6 million to charity, with Wenig contributing an additional $1 million to a nonprofit focused on First Amendment rights.
In 2020, six former eBay employees and one contractor were charged in connection with the campaign, which included doxing, threats, and deliveries of live pests targeting the couple, who had frequently written critically about eBay. The Steiners filed their civil suit in 2021; eBay had previously paid a $3 million criminal penalty to the US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.
Critically, the settlement contains no confidentiality provision. Attorney Chris Murphy stated this was a 'dealbreaker' from the start. The Steiners said the civil case gave them access to 68,000 documents unavailable during the federal investigation. eBay issued an apology and acknowledged 'unprofessional tone' among former leadership.