eBay has agreed to pay nearly $56 million to a Massachusetts couple who were targeted in a bizarre harassment campaign carried out by several of the company's former employees. The couple, Ina and David Steiner, said the settlement brings a measure of resolution to a case that drew national attention for its disturbing details.
The Steiners publish an online newsletter covering the e-commerce industry, which had frequently been critical of eBay. It was this coverage that placed them in the sights of a group of employees who set out to intimidate and silence them, in a case that became one of the most unusual corporate harassment stories in recent memory.
According to the couple, they were subjected to a series of gruesome and threatening deliveries to their home. Among the items they received were a bloody Halloween pig mask, a funeral wreath, and live cockroaches and spiders. The deliveries were part of a campaign designed to frighten them over their reporting on the company.
The harassment led to criminal charges in 2020, when seven former eBay employees were accused in connection with the scheme. The allegations included a plan to place a GPS tracker on the Steiners' car in order to monitor their movements. Most of the defendants later pleaded guilty, and some were sentenced to prison.
The Steiners said they pursued the case as far as they physically and humanly could, describing the ordeal as difficult and painful. They said it had left lasting scars but that they could not have lived with themselves had they not sought to hold those responsible accountable. The couple said no one should be stalked and harassed simply for speaking out online.
eBay condemned the harassment and issued an apology, saying the conduct was wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened. The company said it had since strengthened its policies, procedures, controls and training, framing the steps as part of a broader commitment to upholding high standards of conduct and ethics.
As part of the settlement, a portion of the money will go to charitable organizations. The couple said the experience had changed who they are, but expressed hope that more normal days lay ahead. The agreement helps bring the long-running case toward a close after years of legal proceedings.