Overview
- U.S. District Judge Patti Saris dismissed the case on Feb. 25 after both sides reported a settlement, and the terms were not disclosed.
- David and Ina Steiner, who publish the EcommerceBytes newsletter, had sought nearly $500 million in damages and were days from trial when the agreement was reached.
- Federal prosecutors previously charged seven former eBay employees over the scheme; most pleaded guilty and received prison terms or home confinement, including James Baugh’s nearly five-year sentence and David Harville’s two-year term.
- Court filings detailed deliveries of live cockroaches and spiders, a funeral wreath, and a bloody pig mask, along with threats, in-person surveillance, and a plan to install a GPS device.
- In 2024, eBay entered a deferred prosecution agreement that carried a $3 million criminal penalty, and the company has said the former employees’ misconduct was wrong.