eBay Inc. agrees to pay nearly $50 million to a Massachusetts couple, according to settlement details released after the case faced trial. The couple, identified in reports as David and Ina Steiner, sued eBay over what they said was a harassment and cyberstalking campaign carried out by former eBay employees.
According to multiple outlets, the alleged harassment included threatening messages sent via social media and later anonymous deliveries. Reported items in the mail include live cockroaches, fly larvae, spiders, a funeral wreath, and a bloody pig Halloween mask. The couple also said they experienced death threats and other intimidation, including surveillance.
Several sources say the parties reached a tentative settlement agreement earlier in the process, in February, but could not finalize it at that time. The settlement ultimately resolves the lawsuit related to the 2019 campaign described by the couple. The accounts focus on actions allegedly taken by former eBay employees rather than on eBay’s internal practices at the time, and the finalized agreement ends the dispute as described in the reporting.
