eBay and former executives settle lawsuit over harassment of journalists

eBay and several of its former executives have reached a settlement in a civil lawsuit brought by journalists Ina and David Steiner, who were victims of a harassment campaign orchestrated by company employees in 2019. The settlement has no confidentiality restrictions and required eBay to issue a strong public statement condemning the conduct.

In the statement, eBay described the actions of former employees as "wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened." The company also acknowledged the unprofessional tone in internal communications displayed by former CEO Devin Wenig, former communications executive Steve Wymer, and another former executive, Wendy Jones. eBay said that since the events, new leadership has taken over and policies, procedures, controls, and training have been strengthened.

Seven former eBay employees and contractors pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the harassment. Prison sentences were imposed on former security executives: James Baugh received 57 months, David Harville 24 months, Philip Cooke 18 months, and Stephanie Popp 12 months. Two other individuals received a year of home confinement, and another was sentenced to time served plus a year of supervised release.

Wenig and Wymer were not criminally charged but were accused in the civil lawsuit of giving employees "carte blanche authority" to stop the Steiners' reporting by any means necessary. According to the lawsuit, Wymer stated, "I want to see ashes… Whatever it takes," and promised to "embrace managing any bad fallout" if the plan went wrong.

The Steiners, who run a blog and newsletter covering the antiques trade, had been critical of eBay's business practices. The settlement marks the end of a multi-year legal battle for the couple.