eBay cyberstalking settlement pays Steiner couple $55.7 million
Ina and David Steiner will receive most of the payout after former eBay workers targeted them with threats, surveillance and disturbing deliveries.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
eBay has agreed to a $55.7 million eBay cyberstalking settlement with Ina and David Steiner, the Massachusetts couple targeted in 2019 by a harassment campaign carried out by former company employees, according to CBS News.
The Steiners run ECommerceBytes, a trade publication, from their home in Natick, Massachusetts. Federal prosecutors have said eBay leaders were angered by the publication’s coverage and by critical reader comments posted on its site.
The campaign included online threats and deliveries meant to frighten the couple, CBS News reported. Items sent to their home included a bloody pig mask, live spiders and a book about coping with the death of a spouse.
Pornographic magazines addressed to David Steiner were also sent to neighbors, according to CBS News. The couple’s home was listed on Craigslist as a place for “singles, couples and swingers” to visit at night.
What was the eBay cyberstalking settlement about?
The settlement resolves claims over a 2019 harassment and stalking campaign against the Steiners. The case centered on former eBay employees who prosecutors said tried to intimidate the couple because of their e-commerce newsletter and its comment section.
Investigators connected the scheme to eBay after law enforcement traced a rental van that had followed David Steiner to an eBay employee, CBS News reported. In 2020, the Department of Justice charged seven eBay executives and employees with cyberstalking, and some later went to prison for their roles.
Federal prosecutors cited messages from former eBay leaders as part of the case. Former CEO Devin Wenig texted, “Take her down,” prosecutors said. Former chief communications officer Steve Wymer wrote, “I want to see ashes. As long as it takes. Whatever it takes,” according to prosecutors.
Ina Steiner described the ordeal in an interview with “60 Minutes,” saying, “It felt like corporate terrorism because we were terrorized. And it was very calculated. It was very vicious.” The couple told the program they began sleeping in separate rooms so one could call police or escape if someone broke into their home.
How the money will be divided
The Steiners will receive $48.7 million under the settlement, including $2 million from Wenig, CBS News reported. eBay will also contribute $6 million to various charities.
Wenig will donate $1 million to a charity that protects First Amendment rights in Ina Steiner’s name, according to CBS News.
eBay previously paid a $3 million criminal penalty in the case in 2024. In a Tuesday statement, the company said, “we continue to extend our deepest apologies to the Steiners.”
“As we have long stated, what the Steiners were subjected to by former eBay employees in 2019 was wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened,” eBay said. The company added that it condemned the employees who carried out the misconduct and pleaded guilty to criminal charges.
Christopher Murphy, an attorney for the Steiners, said the case was about more than money. He said his clients wanted to expose what happened, protect journalists and publishers, hold people accountable, deter corporate misconduct and help keep others from going through the same experience.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.