eBay and Former Executives Settle Cyberstalking Lawsuit for $55.7 Million

eBay and three former executives have agreed to pay $55.7 million to settle a lawsuit over a 2019 harassment campaign against journalists Ina and David Steiner.

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eBay and three former executives have agreed to pay a total of $55.7 million to settle a lawsuit over a 2019 cyberstalking campaign against journalists Ina and David Steiner, according to court documents filed on July 28, 2026.

The settlement includes $46.15 million from eBay, $2 million from former CEO Devin Wenig, $500,000 from former executive Wendy Jones, and $50,000 from former executive Steve Wymer. Additionally, eBay will contribute $6 million to charitable organizations, and Wenig will donate $1 million in Ina Steiner's name to a charity that supports First Amendment rights. The total figure of $55.7 million was confirmed by Ina Steiner in a statement on EcommerceBytes.

The harassment campaign, which took place over several months in 2019, included sending live cockroaches, a bloody pig mask, a funeral wreath, and a book on surviving the loss of a spouse, along with threatening messages and attempted GPS tracking of the journalists. The Steiners, who run the EcommerceBytes newsletter and website from their home in Natick, Massachusetts, had reported on eBay for years.

The lawsuit alleged that then-CEO Devin Wenig told a communications chief to "take her down" and instructed a security team lead to do "whatever it takes." Wenig has denied knowledge of the harassment, stating that it was done in secret and citing an independent law firm review, a federal probe, and sworn testimony from a convicted security employee.

In a statement, eBay said the conduct was "wrong, reprehensible" and that the company has since strengthened its policies, procedures, controls, and training. Seven eBay security employees were charged and pleaded guilty in a separate 2020 criminal case, but the executives were not charged at that time.