eBay Reaches $56 Million Settlement With Couple Targeted in Harassment Campaign
eBay has agreed to pay $56 million (about £42 million) to David and Ina Steiner to settle a civil lawsuit stemming from an extensive harassment campaign carried out by former company executives in response to the couple’s online criticism of the e-commerce giant.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Steiners confirmed that they had reached a settlement with eBay over the 2019 campaign, which involved several former executives and internal communications linked to the company’s then-chief executive, Devin Wenig.
The couple operate EcommerceBytes, a website and newsletter known for publishing commentary and analysis of the online marketplace, including criticism of eBay’s business practices.
Court records showed that former eBay executives orchestrated a coordinated campaign of intimidation against the Steiners. Among the items sent to their home were a costume pig mask covered in pig’s blood and a book about coping with the death of a spouse. They also received a funeral wreath and threatening messages on Twitter, now known as X.
Investigators found that some of those involved also travelled to the couple’s Massachusetts residence with plans to install a tracking device on their vehicle.
Between 2022 and 2024, seven former eBay executives pleaded guilty to criminal charges connected to the harassment, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Describing the case in 2024, an FBI agent involved in the investigation called the operation an “unprecedented, relentless, and over-the-top harassment campaign.”
The company itself also faced criminal charges and entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice, under which it agreed to pay a $3 million fine.
As part of the newly announced settlement, eBay will provide most of the compensation, including $6 million earmarked for “various non-profit organizations.” Former CEO Devin Wenig will personally contribute $1 million.
Wenig, who left eBay in 2019, came under scrutiny after internal communications revealed he had texted the company’s top communications executive regarding Ina Steiner, saying: “Take her down.”
A representative for Wenig said on Tuesday that previous court proceedings established the message referred to a public relations effort intended to challenge what Wenig believed were inaccuracies in Ina Steiner’s reporting.
In a statement, Wenig said: “No one should ever have been subjected to what the Steiners endured in 2019, and I’m saddened by it, especially because it occurred during my time as CEO of eBay. The harassment was deliberately done in secret.”
According to the Steiners’ legal team, Wenig’s $1 million contribution will be donated to an unnamed charity dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights and will be made in Ina Steiner’s name.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech.
Christopher Murphy of Scalli Murphy Law PC, who represented the Steiners, welcomed the settlement, saying: “We believe this resolution sends a clear message that corporations and their executives cannot engage in this type of misconduct without facing significant consequences.”
Responding to the settlement, eBay acknowledged the wrongdoing by its former employees.
“What the Steiners were subjected to by former eBay employees in 2019 was wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened,” the company said.
eBay also condemned the conduct of the former executives who pleaded guilty to criminal offences and acknowledged there had been an “unprofessional tone in internal communications” involving Wenig and other former executives.
“This agreement is consistent with our commitment to fairly compensate the Steiners and fulfills our efforts to make things right,” the company added.
