A US couple sued eBay for $55 million (2 photos)

Company employees organized a harassment campaign, sending the couple fly larvae and a bloody pig mask.





The harassment began in 2019 after Ina Steiner wrote an article about eBay's lawsuit against Amazon, which the company accused of poaching sellers. Half an hour after the article was published, then-eBay CEO Devin Wenig sent a message to another company executive calling Ina Steiner a "biased troll who needs to be BURNED."

Seven employees devised a three-stage stalking plan. First, the Steiners were sent terrifying packages: a canned pig fetus, a bloody pig mask, a funeral wreath, and a book on coping with the loss of a spouse. The couple's neighbors were also sent pornographic materials with David Steiner's name on the packaging. In the second stage, eBay employees began stalking the Steiners on social media. Then, they organized surveillance of the couple, their home, and their car.



The Steiners contacted the police. Following the investigation and subsequent trial, seven former eBay employees pleaded guilty. They were sentenced to up to 57 months in prison for organizing and participating in the harassment campaign. eBay also entered into a plea agreement with US authorities, agreeing to pay a $3 million fine in 2024.

In 2026, eBay agreed to pay the couple $46.15 million. The company will donate an additional $6 million to charity.

The company's top executives—former CEO Devin Wenig, former Chief Communications Officer Steve Wymer, and Wendy Jones, former Senior Vice President of Global Operations—were not held accountable. They continue to deny any involvement in the harassment. Wenig will pay the couple $2 million and donate $1 million to a charity in Ina Steiner's name.