Huge Payout for Couple Harassed by eBay Employees

A long-running nightmare for a Massachusetts couple will end with an eight-figure payout from eBay, reports CBS News. The company and some of its former execs agreed to a $55.7 million settlement—$48.7 million will go to Ina and David Steiner, with the rest going to charity, including organizations that support First Amendment rights—after former eBay employees targeted the couple with an elaborate harassment and cyberstalking campaign in 2019 over their coverage of the company in their newsletter, ECommerceBytes.

The campaign against the couple featured threatening messages, a bloody pig mask, live spiders, a funeral wreath, and a book on how to survive the death of one's spouse and led to federal charges against seven ex-employees and executives. Some served time. eBay, which previously paid a $3 million criminal penalty, again called the conduct "reprehensible" in a statement. The AP reports there is no confidentiality provision in the settlement, as the Steiners insisted on being able to speak freely about what they were subjected to.