eBay Pays $56M Over 2019 Journalist Harassment Campaign

eBay and three former executives have agreed to pay $55.7 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from a 2019 campaign of cyberstalking and harassment directed at two journalists. The settlement includes $55.7 million in compensation and charitable commitments, as confirmed by Ina Steiner, one of the targeted journalists, on EcommerceBytes. The harassment campaign was designed to silence the journalists' reporting on eBay. The victims, Ina and David Steiner, operate the news website EcommerceBytes, which focuses on the e-commerce industry. The lawsuit was filed in 2021 against eBay and its former executives. The campaign involved a series of disturbing actions intended to intimidate the Steiners. These actions included the delivery of live cockroaches to their home, the sending of a funeral wreath, and the dispatch of a book titled "Surviving the Loss of a Spouse." A particularly unsettling delivery was a bloody pig mask. Beyond physical deliveries, the perpetrators also sent harassing messages through email and Twitter. Furthermore, there was an attempt to install a GPS tracking device on the victims' car, indicating a sophisticated and persistent effort to monitor and control their movements. The cyberstalking and harassment campaign was orchestrated by former eBay employees. This campaign led to criminal charges against these former employees, resulting in guilty pleas and subsequent prison sentences. The Steiners reside in Natick, Massachusetts. The settlement marks a significant resolution to a case that highlighted extreme tactics employed against investigative journalists. The amount of the settlement, $55.7 million, underscores the severity of the actions taken by eBay and its former executives. The inclusion of charitable commitments in the settlement further suggests a broader acknowledgment of wrongdoing and a desire to contribute positively following the ordeal. The case has been described as a "landmark civil rights settlement" by Ina Steiner, emphasizing its implications for press freedom and the protection of journalists from retaliatory harassment. The events transpired in 2019, and the legal proceedings continued for several years, culminating in this settlement in 2024. The nature of the harassment, involving both digital and physical intimidation tactics, presented a complex legal challenge. The resolution aims to provide a measure of justice and financial recompense to the Steiners for the distress and disruption caused by eBay's actions.