eBay will pay nearly $50 million to settle claims by David and Ina Steiner, founders of the EcommerceBytes newsletter. The settlement totals $48.7 million, with $46.15 million from eBay and additional payments from three former executives, according to the Associated Press.
The harassment stemmed from the Steiners’ 2019 coverage of a lawsuit between eBay and Amazon. Displeased with the reporting, former CEO Devin Wenig instructed a subordinate to “take her down.” Subsequently, the couple received anonymous shipments of live cockroaches and spiders, a funeral wreath, a blood‑stained pig mask, and a scheme to covertly track their vehicle via GPS.
The settlement allocates $7 million to charitable causes and contains no confidentiality provision, allowing the Steiners to speak publicly. Ina Steiner said she hopes the case will deter similar conduct, while eBay characterized the actions as “wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened.”
