eBay agrees to pay nearly $48.7 million to settle harassment lawsuit

eBay Inc. announced on Tuesday that it will pay $48.7 million to settle a lawsuit filed by David and Ina Steiner, journalists who cover the e-commerce sector. The settlement follows a 2019 harassment campaign in which former eBay employees allegedly sent the couple packages containing live insects, a preserved fetal pig, a funeral wreath, a bloody Halloween mask and other disturbing items, as well as conducting cyberstalking and surveillance.

The Steiners said the campaign was motivated by anger over their reporting and aimed to intimidate them. Under the agreement, eBay will provide about $46.15 million, while former CEO Devin Wenig, former senior vice president Wendy Jones and former chief communications officer Steve Wymer will contribute $2 million, $500,000 and $50,000 respectively. The settlement also includes $6 million for charitable donations and an additional $1 million from Wenig to a First Amendment-focused charity named after Ina Steiner.

"We hope that the size of the settlement amount will act as a deterrent to any corporation that uses their resources to intimidate journalists into compliance," the Steiners said in a statement.

"We hope this case will serve as a deterrent," Ina Steiner added.

eBay said the conduct of the former employees was "wrong" and "reprehensible" and expressed apologies to the couple. The company said it has strengthened its policies, procedures and ethics training since the incidents and that the behavior does not reflect its current culture.

Former CEO Wenig, who was not criminally charged, said he had no knowledge of the campaign and expressed sadness over the couple's experience.

"No one should ever have been subjected to what the Steiners endured in 2019, and I’m saddened by it," Wenig said.

The settlement contains no confidentiality clause, allowing the Steiners to discuss the case publicly.