eBay reaches $56M settlement with e-commerce newsletter writers it terrorized in 2019

One of the astir bizarre episodes successful e-commerce past has travel to a close. eBay and respective erstwhile eBay employees person agreed to wage $56 cardinal to a newsletter-writing mates that was targeted by the company’s erstwhile executives in a horrific targeted harassment campaign that took spot successful 2019.

Ina and David Steiner, a joined mates and the co-authors of EcommerceBytes, inspired the ire of high-level eBay executives aft occasionally criticizing the institution successful their newsletter. In 2019, a crippled was concocted to intimidate the mates into halting their antagonistic coverage.

Executives utilized sock puppet societal media accounts to harass the couple, portion besides sending them anonymous threatening letters and bizarre items successful the message — including unrecorded spiders and cockroaches, pornographic magazines, a bloody pig mask, a funereal wreath, and a publication astir surviving the decease of a spouse.

According to antecedently released tribunal documents, a program that was attempted but ne'er successfully carried retired progressive affixing a GPS tracking device to the couple’s car. Yet different internally broached program progressive sending a “Samoan gang” to the Steiners’ home.

The colony this week resolves a 2021 civilian lawsuit brought by the mates against eBay. The instrumentality bureau representing the Steiners writes that the settlement includes $46.15 million paid to the mates by eBay itself, arsenic good arsenic $2 cardinal from erstwhile eBay enforcement CEO Devin Wenig.

Additionally, $500,000 volition beryllium paid retired to the mates from erstwhile eBay enforcement Wendy Jones, arsenic good arsenic $50,000 from erstwhile eBay enforcement Steve Wymer. Additional funds are being paid to assorted non-profits.

In 2022, 7 erstwhile eBay employees were criminally charged and pled blameworthy successful narration to the plot, including the company’s erstwhile information chief, James Baugh — who was sentenced to astir 5 years successful prison. Others indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice see David Harville, Brian Gilbert, Stephanie Popp, Stephanie Stockwell, Philip Cooke, and erstwhile eBay contractor Veronica Zea.

In a statement published Tuesday, eBay disavowed its erstwhile employees’ behaviour arsenic “not typical of eBay’s culture” — which is comforting, I guess.

“As we person agelong stated, what the Steiners were subjected to by erstwhile eBay employees successful 2019 was wrong, reprehensible and should ne'er person happened,” eBay continued. “We condemn, successful the strongest presumption possible, the employees who perpetrated and pled blameworthy to transgression charges for the misconduct against Ina and David Steiner.”

“We proceed to widen our deepest apologies to the Steiners. This statement is accordant with our committedness to reasonably compensate the Steiners and fulfills our efforts to marque things right.”

“This lawsuit was ever astir much than obtaining fiscal recovery,” said Christopher Murphy, 1 of the Steiners’ attorneys. “From the beginning, our clients wanted to uncover the truth, support journalists and publishers, clasp those liable accountable, deter aboriginal firm misconduct, and assistance guarantee others would ne'er person to endure what they experienced.”