Overview
- The Steiners filed a notice in U.S. District Court dismissing their 2021 suit after announcing a final $55.7 million deal that was filed Tuesday.
- Under the agreement eBay will pay $46.15 million, former CEO Devin Wenig will pay $2 million and donate $1 million to a First Amendment charity, Wendy Jones will pay $500,000, and Steve Wymer will pay $50,000 while eBay funds roughly $6 million in charitable contributions.
- Federal prosecutors previously charged seven eBay employees for a 2019 campaign that sent live insects, a bloody pig mask, pornographic mailings, a funeral wreath, and included in-person surveillance and a failed GPS-tracking attempt; several workers pleaded guilty and received prison terms.
- The settlement contains no confidentiality clause, requires eBay to issue a public statement about the 2019 conduct, and preserves the Steiners’ right to speak publicly while giving them access to tens of thousands of documents from the case.
- Lawyers for the Steiners say the deal provides accountability and a public record that could deter corporate efforts to intimidate journalists, and eBay has issued an apology and said it has changed leadership and strengthened policies since 2019.