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eBay and former executives agree to pay $55.7m to settle harassment suit
The settlement includes $46.15m to David and Ina Steiner and additional funding for charities, ending their Boston federal case filed in 2021.
David and Ina Steiner, bloggers behind EcommerceBytes, said they reached a settlement with eBay and three former top executives to resolve their federal lawsuit tied to a harassment and stalking campaign. The parties announced the agreement late Monday, ending a case filed in 2021 in Boston federal court, according to the Guardian Business.
The settlement totals $55.7m, with eBay agreeing to pay $46.15m directly to the couple and to fund $6m in charitable contributions to non-profit organizations. eBay also said it would issue a strongly-worded statement about the conduct of three of its top former executives.
The Guardian Business reports that prosecutors said the scheme involved targeting the Steiners after senior eBay executives viewed their newsletter as critical. Seven former eBay workers pleaded guilty, with sentences of up to 57 months in prison, prosecutors said their effort included traveling from California to Natick, Massachusetts to surveil the couple and attempt to install a GPS tracking device on their car.
As part of the resolution, the Steiners’ attorney, Christopher Murphy, said the deal reflects consequences for corporate executives over misconduct. eBay said the actions were wrong and should never have happened, adding it continues to apologize to the Steiners and compensate them as part of its efforts to make things right.