eBay agreed to pay nearly $50 million to couple sent cockroaches, bloody pig mask

Key Points:

• eBay Inc. agreed to pay nearly $50 million to a Massachusetts couple, David and Ina Steiner, after former employees harassed them with threats and disturbing anonymous deliveries, including live insects and a bloody pig Halloween mask.
• The Steiners, who run an e-commerce industry newsletter, alleged the harassment campaign aimed to silence their reporting on eBay and involved cyberstalking, death threats, and in-person surveillance.
• The settlement includes $7 million in charitable donations to organizations supporting First Amendment rights and contains no confidentiality clause, allowing the Steiners to speak publicly about the case.
• Seven former eBay employees were federally charged and mostly pleaded guilty to conspiracy and cyberstalking, while eBay paid a $3 million criminal penalty and acknowledged internal misconduct by former executives.
• The settlement aims to deter similar corporate misconduct and protect journalists, with personal payments from former executives and a commitment to transparency praised by the Steiners’ attorney.