eBay agrees to pay $50M over cyberstalking campaign against Massachusetts couple

Key Points:

• eBay agreed to pay approximately $50 million to Massachusetts bloggers David and Ina Steiner after former employees harassed them with disturbing packages and threats in 2019, following negative reporting on the company.
• The harassment campaign included sending live insects, a preserved fetal pig, a funeral wreath, and other intimidating items, alongside cyberstalking, death threats, and surveillance.
• Former eBay executives Devin Wenig, Steve Wymer, and Wendy Jones were named in the lawsuit but not criminally charged; six other former employees and a contractor pleaded guilty to related criminal charges.
• The settlement includes $48.7 million in compensation to the Steiners, $6 million in charitable donations funded by eBay, and additional contributions from former executives, with no confidentiality clause to allow public discussion of the case.
• eBay condemned the misconduct, apologized, and stated it has since improved policies and ethics training, while former CEO Wenig denied knowledge of the harassment and expressed sadness over the incident.