eBays agreed to pay nearly $50 million to couple sent cockroaches, bloody pig mask - AP News

What the report says

The Associated Press reports that eBay Inc. has finalized a settlement worth nearly $50 million with David and Ina Steiner, a Massachusetts couple who founded EcommerceBytes, a newsletter covering the e-commerce industry. The deal resolves their Boston federal lawsuit over a 2019 cyberstalking and harassment campaign carried out by former eBay employees. Settlement details released Tuesday show the Steiners will receive $48.7 million, including $46.15 million from eBay, $2 million from former CEO Devin Wenig, $500,000 from former executive Wendy Jones and $50,000 from former executive Steve Wymer.

According to AP, the Steiners said the campaign involved threatening online messages, in-person surveillance and anonymous deliveries such as live cockroaches and spiders, a funeral wreath, a bloody pig Halloween mask and other disturbing items. Their lawsuit alleged the conduct was intended to intimidate them and interfere with their reporting on eBay. A tentative settlement had been reported in February, but after it was not finalized, the Steiners sought to return the case to the trial calendar before a new agreement was reached this month.

The settlement also includes $7 million in charitable donations, including support for organizations tied to First Amendment rights, and contains no confidentiality clause. eBay apologized again Tuesday, saying the conduct by former employees was wrong and not reflective of the company’s culture, while noting leadership and policy changes.

AP reports the agreement closes more than six years of related civil and criminal proceedings. Federal prosecutors charged seven former eBay employees in 2020; most pleaded guilty to cyberstalking-related charges and received prison terms or home confinement. In 2024, eBay agreed to pay a $3 million criminal penalty under a deferred prosecution agreement.