eBay’s bizarre cyberstalking saga ends with a $56 million settlement - The Verge

What the report says

The Verge reports that eBay and three former executives have agreed to pay $55.7 million to settle claims brought by David and Ina Steiner, a Massachusetts couple who run the EcommerceBytes newsletter. The settlement, reported by The Verge on July 28, 2026, resolves litigation over a 2019 harassment and cyberstalking campaign tied to the newsletter’s coverage of eBay.

According to The Verge, the campaign involved now-former eBay personnel sending the Steiners disturbing items including live insects, a bloody pig mask and a funeral wreath. The couple sued eBay and former executives in 2021, including former CEO Devin Wenig, alleging a coordinated effort to intimidate and silence them over their reporting on the company.

The case also drew federal criminal action. The Verge says the Department of Justice charged seven former eBay employees in 2020 in connection with the campaign, and all were convicted. eBay separately agreed in 2024 to pay a $3 million criminal penalty related to the matter. Wenig was not charged and has denied knowing about the harassment.

The settlement breaks down as $46.15 million from eBay, $2 million from Wenig, $500,000 from former global operations senior vice president Wendy Jones, and $50,000 from former chief communications officer Steve Wymer, according to The Verge. eBay will also donate $6 million to nonprofit organizations. The resolution closes a high-profile episode involving corporate retaliation concerns, online journalism, and accountability for misconduct by company employees.