eBay to Pay Nearly $50 Million to Couple After Employees Sent Them Cockroaches, Bloody Pig Mask
The deal includes $46.15 million for the Steiners and $6 million in charitable contributions after the harassment campaign led to criminal prosecutions.
- The company and its former senior executives agreed to pay $55.7 million to settle a stalking and harassment lawsuit brought by a Massachusetts couple, David and Ina Steiner, after CNN reported on the case.
- Senior executives launched the campaign after viewing the Steiners' newsletter, EcommerceBytes, as critical of the company. Prosecutors cited a 2019 text from CEO Devin Wenig to Steve Wymer, saying it was time to "take her down," referring to Ina Steiner.
- Employees sent the couple disturbing items, including cockroaches, fly larvae, and a bloody Halloween pig mask. They also traveled to Massachusetts to surveil the couple and attempted to install a GPS tracking device on their car.
- Wenig will pay the Steiners $2 million personally, while Wendy Jones and Steve Wymer will pay $500,000 and $50,000 respectively. Authorities previously criminally charged the company, which paid a $3 million fine in 2022.
- The company stated the harassment was "wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened," extending its "deepest apologies" to the couple. Wenig described the conduct as "antithetical" to his values, and settlements have been reached with all named employees.
35 Articles
35 Articles
The victims are founding journalists of EcommerceBytes, a platform that reports on various e-commerce companies such as eBay
eBay Agrees To Pay Nearly $50 Million To Settle Bizarre Lawsuit After Employees Sent Massachusetts Couple Live Roaches and A Fetal Pig
eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) and several of its former executives have agreed to pay $48.7 million in direct compensation to David and Ina Steiner, the Natick, Massachusetts couple who were targeted in 2019 with anonymous deliveries that included live cockroaches, live spiders, a preserved fetal pig, a bloody pig Halloween mask, a funeral wreath, and a book ... eBay Agrees To Pay Nearly $50 Million To Settle Bizarre Lawsuit After Employees Sent Massachuse…
eBay Paying Couple $50 Million After Employees Mailed Them Live Insects and Other Bizarre Stuff
That one time I got scammed by an eBay seller who sent me a random, unidentifiable piece of electronic equipment when I was trying to buy a backup camera battery doesn’t seem so bad now. According to NBC News, eBay has agreed to pay nearly $50 million to a Massachusetts couple who said former company […] The post eBay Paying Couple $50 Million After Employees Mailed Them Live Insects and Other Bizarre Stuff appeared first on VICE.
Massachusetts couple harassed by eBay employees receive $56 million settlement
I only go on eBay maybe once a year to search for a very specific style of vintage eyeglass frame from one brand. Now I want to stop even that limited engagement with the auction site, thanks to this story. Married couple Ina and David Steiner run a trade newsletter, eCommerceBytes, from their home in Natick, Massachusetts. In 2019, the Steiners’ lives became a living nightmare as they were inundated with threatening mail and messages. Among the…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
