eBay Agrees To Pay $56 Million For Terrorising Couple With Live Cockroaches, Funeral Wreath

E-commerce giant eBay, along with some of its former top executives, has agreed to pay nearly $56 million to settle a civil lawsuit brought by a Massachusetts couple who were subjected to a targeted harassment and cyberstalking campaign, The Financial Times reported.

The couple, David and Ina Steiner, run EcommerceBytes, a small online publication covering the e-commerce industry. They wrote blogs critical of eBay, which the e-commerce giant didn't like. In response, the company employees launched a campaign to terrorise and silence the couple over the media coverage published in their newsletter.

The campaign reportedly began in August 2019. According to court records, former eBay CEO Devin Wenig sent a text message to his chief communications officer stating it was time to "take her down," referring to Ina Steiner.

Shortly after, eBay employees launched a campaign aimed at intimidating the couple into stopping their reporting.

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Threatening deliveries to the couple

As per the report, the couple received packages at their home in Natick, Massachusetts, containing live cockroaches, fly larvae, spiders, a bloody pig mask, a funeral wreath, and a book on surviving the loss of a spouse.

They even listed the couple's home address on Craigslist, inviting strangers for late-night gatherings, and ordered unsolicited food deliveries to their door.

Employees also travelled from California to Massachusetts to spy on the couple, follow them in rental vehicles, and attempt to place a hidden GPS tracking unit on their vehicle.

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Lawsuit and compensation

The frustrated couple filed a civil suit against eBay and ex-employees of the company in 2021.

After winning, they will receive $48.7 million in compensation from eBay and former employees.

The report mentioned that Ebay will also pay $6 million to charitable organisations. On the other hand, Wenig will pay $1 million to a free speech charity in Ina Steiner's name.

eBay's statement

The e-commerce giant released a statement, saying that the harassment "was wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened" and acknowledged the "unprofessional tone in internal communications" by executives involved.