eBay and former executives finally reached a settlement with journalists Ina and David Steiner over the 2019 harassment campaign, putting an end to a six-year legal battle between the two parties.
The $55.7M settlement includes $48.7M in compensation for the Steiners, with eBay paying $46.15M, former CEO Devin Wenig contributing $2M, former SVP of Global Operations Wendy Jones paying $500k, and former communications chief Steve Wymer paying $50k. eBay will put another $6M toward nonprofits, and Wenig will give $1M to a First Amendment charity in Ina Steiner's name.
This is honestly one of the most astonishing and horrific lawsuits to hit our industry. (More so than Matt Mullenweg whining about WP Engine not giving enough back to the WordPress community.)
Huge shoutout to Liz Morton of Value Added Resource for her unmatched coverage of the lawsuit over the past several years. Read through her eBay Cyberstalking archives for more details on the case, which I'll provide a very brief summary of below.
- Back in 2019, a team of high-level eBay security personnel, led by Director of Global Resiliency Jim Baugh, launched a stalking and harassment campaign against Ina and David Steiner for their critical coverage of eBay. The harassment included sending live insects, bloody pig masks, and funeral wreaths to their home, as well as threatening messages, doxxing, in-person surveillance, and an attempted break-in. Who does that?! A bunch of eBay mall cops who take their job too seriously…
- Seven eBay employees pleaded guilty to criminal charges and were sentenced for their roles. eBay signed a deferred prosecution agreement with the DOJ, admitting to six felony offenses and paying a $3M fine, which went to the U.S. Treasury, not the Steiners.
- In 2021, the Steiners filed a civil lawsuit naming the seven criminal defendants plus eBay, ex-CEO Devin Wenig, ex-Communications Chief Steve Wymer, ex-SVP Global Operations Wendy Jones, and security firm Progressive F.O.R.C.E Concepts, alleging the harassment campaign was directed from the top of eBay's executive suite.
- Judge Patti Saris dismissed the claims against PFC on summary judgment in August 2025, and the Steiners cut deals with five of the security defendants to release them in exchange for testimony against the executives. The trial was pushed from January 5, 2026 to March 2, 2026 after Wenig's attorney claimed scheduling conflicts.
- Days before jury selection, the parties settled on undisclosed terms and the case was dismissed on February 25, 2026, with a 60-day window to reopen if the deal wasn't finalized. That's where I last left off with my coverage.
- Well, the deal wasn't finalized. After multiple extensions, the last running to June 12, the Steiners told the court the parties couldn't produce a written agreement matching their respective understandings of the terms. Saris reopened the case and set trial for January 4, 2027.
- A new deal came together in July. As noted earlier, eBay and three former executives agreed to pay roughly $55.7M, with the Steiners' attorney Christopher Murphy saying the couple will receive $48.7M. eBay was required to issue a statement as part of the agreement, calling the 2019 conduct wrong and reprehensible.
Nothing in the new deal stops the Steiners from discussing the case or the evidence. So I look forward to the biopic with Michelle Pfeiffer playing Ina and Kyle Chandler playing David.
Congrats to the Steiners for taking home this well-deserved settlement. I hope that they are able to move on in peace from this wild chapter of their lives.
