eBay and Former Executives Pay $50 Million to Resolve Journalist Stalking Lawsuit
The record settlement includes direct payments from former leadership and no non-disclosure restrictions following a bizarre 2019 harassment campaign.
In an unprecedented resolution to one of the corporate world’s most unusual harassment cases, eBay Inc. and several of its former high-ranking executives have agreed to a settlement package exceeding $50 million with two independent journalists targeted in a terror campaign five years ago.
The civil agreement concludes a lawsuit filed in 2021 by David and Ina Steiner, who report on the e-commerce industry through their specialized newsletter. Crucially, the settlement contains no confidentiality provision, allowing the couple to publicly discuss the case to discourage corporate overreach against news reporting.
Under the terms of the deal, the Steiners will receive $48.7 million in direct compensation. EBay is responsible for roughly $46.15 million of that total, while three former corporate officers named in the litigation are contributing personal funds: former chief executive officer Devin Wenig will pay $2 million, former senior vice president Wendy Jones will contribute $500,000, and former chief communications officer Steve Wymer will pay $50,000.
Beyond direct restitution, eBay is funding $6 million in charitable donations. Additionally, Devin Wenig will contribute $1 million to a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights, designated in Ina Steiner’s name.
The civil action arose from a campaign of intimidation carried out in 2019 by eBay employees angered by the Steiners’ reporting. The harassment commenced with threatening direct messages on social media before escalating to physical surveillance, death threats, and an effort to plant a GPS tracking device on the couple’s vehicle in Massachusetts.
The campaign also involved sending unsolicited, disturbing packages to the couple’s residence. Items delivered included live cockroaches and spiders, a preserved fetal pig, a funeral wreath, a bloody pig Halloween mask, and a book addressing how to cope with the loss of a spouse. To inflict local embarrassment, employees also directed adult magazines addressed to David Steiner to a neighbor’s home.
While Devin Wenig, Wendy Jones, and Steve Wymer were not criminally charged, seven other former company employees and contractors were federally prosecuted and subsequently pleaded guilty. Corporate legal liability was separately addressed when eBay agreed to a $3 million criminal fine following charges filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
This final agreement follows a tentative settlement reached in February that collapsed before trial proceedings could begin.
In response to the resolution, eBay issued a statement reiterating its apologies to the Steiners, acknowledging the inappropriate tone of historical internal communications, and emphasizing that the company has implemented updated compliance controls, ethics training, and corporate governance standards under new leadership.
