eBay and Execs Settle Cyberstalking Case for $55.7 Million
Way way back in 2020, six sacked eBay employees were charged with cyberstalking fellow bloggers Ina Steiner and her husband David, who have run EcommerceBytes (formerly AuctionBytes) since founding the blog in 1999. Now news has broken that the case has been settled for $55.7 Million in Compensation and Charitable Commitments. The settlement follows over […]
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Way way back in 2020, six sacked eBay employees were charged with cyberstalking fellow bloggers Ina Steiner and her husband David, who have run EcommerceBytes (formerly AuctionBytes) since founding the blog in 1999. Now news has broken that the case has been settled for $55. 7 Million in Compensation and Charitable Commitments.
The settlement follows over six years of criminal and civil proceedings. Back in 2021, Ina Steiner said “I want everyone who was involved to be held responsible“.
Now, in addition to substantial compensation for the plaintiffs, the resolution includes significant charitable commitments, personal financial contributions from former eBay executives, a public statement by eBay, and no confidentiality restrictions.
The lions share of the compensation is from eBay, but three execs are also on the hook financially: eBay ($46.
15 million to the Steiners and $6 million in charitable contributions) Ex CEO, Devin Wenig ($2 million to the Steiners and $1 million to a charity dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights donated in the name of Ina Steiner) Ex eBay SVP, Global Operations, who also headed eBay’s Global Security and Resiliency organisations, Wendy Jones ($500,000 to the Steiners) Ex SVP Chief Communications Officer, Steve Wymer ($50,000 to the Steiners) The United States Department of Justice, through the U.
S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, indicted former eBay employees Jim Baugh, David Harville, Brian Gilbert, Stephanie Popp, Stephanie Stockwell, Philip Cooke, and former eBay contractor Veronica Zea. Each ultimately pleaded guilty for their roles in the terror campaign.
eBay itself was also criminally charged and entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the U. S. Department of Justice, agreeing to pay the maximum available criminal fine of $3 million and undertake serious corrective action.
The Steiners filed a civil lawsuit against all defendants in 2021 and it has taken a further six years for the case to eventually be settled.
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This briefing is based on reporting from Tamebay. Use the original post for full primary-source context.
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