Judge Dismisses U.S. Lawsuit Against eBay Over Harmful Product Sales

Federal court rules that Section 230 protects eBay from liability for user-sold items, rejecting claims of environmental law violations.

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice accusing eBay of violating environmental laws by allowing the sale of harmful products.
The court ruled that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields eBay from liability for content posted by its users, including the sale of unlawful items.
The lawsuit alleged eBay facilitated the sale of over 343,000 aftermarket devices to evade vehicle emissions controls and 23,000 unregistered pesticides.
The judge determined that eBay's administrative and technical support to sellers did not materially contribute to the unlawfulness of the products.
eBay was also found not to be a 'seller' of the challenged products, as it did not physically possess or hold title to them.