eBay to Pay $56 Million Settlement in Stalking Case

eBay and its former executives have agreed to pay $56 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a Massachusetts couple who were subjected to a harassment and stalking campaign by company employees.

28 Jul, 14:31 — 28 Jul, 20:37

Post Share

Why this matters

This story highlights the severe consequences of corporate retaliation against critical reporting, even from independent bloggers. It underscores the legal and financial risks companies face when employees engage in harassment, and the importance of protecting journalistic freedom.

Key entitieseBay David Steiner Ina Steiner Massachusetts

The Story

What 10 sources agree on, dispute, and miss

What sources agree on

eBay has agreed to pay a settlement to a Massachusetts couple
The couple, David and Ina Steiner, were harassed by former eBay employees
The harassment was in response to the couple's critical coverage of eBay on their e-commerce blog

Key claims1 agreed · 1 disputed · 3 unverified

✗

eBay agreed to pay $48.7 million to the couple

disputed·klix-ba

Disputed byThe Independentindex-hrThe GuardianFTcnbcYahoochannel-news-asia

Other outlets report higher figures, ranging from approximately $50 million to $56 million

The couple received threatening deliveries including a funeral wreath and live cockroaches

unverified·FT

The couple was sent cockroaches and a bloody pig mask

unverified·The Independent

The harassment included cyberstalking, death threats, and in-person surveillance

unverified·The Independent

✓

The settlement resolves a lawsuit by the couple

agreed·The GuardiancnbcYahoochannel-news-asia

Where they diverge

Exact settlement amount

klix-ba

Reports $48.7 million settlement

The Independentindex-hr

Reports approximately $50 million settlement

The GuardianFT

Reports $55.7 million settlement

cnbcYahoochannel-news-asia

Reports $56 million settlement

Coverage gaps

Specific examples of harassment, such as sending cockroaches, a bloody pig mask, and a funeral wreath

ReportedThe IndependentThe GuardianFT

Missingklix-baindex-hrcnbc+2

Mention of three former top executives also agreeing to pay as part of the settlement

ReportedThe GuardiancnbcYahoochannel-news-asia

Missingklix-baThe Independentindex-hr+1

The Story

Analyzing sources…

Source Diversity

Excellent (79/100)

10 sources33/33

Spectrum spread— 4/5 buckets covered25/33

Far L3

Far Left (3)

NYTThe IndependentThe Guardian

Left4

Left (4)

BBCindex-hrcnbcYahoo

Center2

Center (2)

klix-baFT

Right1

Right (1)

channel-news-asia

Far R

Geographic diversity— 5 regions21/34

UK4US3Bosnia1Croatia1Singapore1

Political spectrum

LeftCenterRight

guardian

independent

index-hr

cnbc

yahoo

klix-ba

channel-news-asia

Outlet rating This story

SourceOutletiGeneral editorial lean of the outletStoryiHow they covered this specific storyToneFactuality

The GuardianleftleftanalyticalMostly FactualHighlights corporate misconduct and executive involvement

The Independentcenter-leftleftsensationalMostly FactualEmphasizes graphic details of harassment

Coverage leans: center-left

The coverage is largely factual, focusing on the settlement details and the nature of the harassment, with a slight lean towards highlighting corporate misconduct.

Sources

Showing 8 of 10 sources

BBCHigh32m ago

eBay agrees $56m settlement with bloggers over harassment case

Former eBay executives carried out "unprecedented" harassment over a critical newsletter.

Read full article →

NYTMostly Factual26m ago

Couple Stalked by eBay Settle for $56 Million

Two Massachusetts journalists were harassed by a Silicon Valley security team in a case that raised questions about when executives should be held responsible.

By David Streitfeld

Read full article →

FTVery High4h ago

Ebay to pay $55.7mn to settle case over harassment of company critics

Couple received threatening deliveries including funeral wreath and live cockroaches after chiding retailer in blog

Read full article →

The GuardianMostly Factual2h ago

EBay and ex-executives to pay $55.7m to couple sent cockroaches in harassment campaign

Bloggers David and Ina Steiner were stalked by eBay executives over their critical coverage of the company Ebay and three former top executives have agreed to pay $55.7m to resolve a lawsuit by a Massachusetts couple who fell victim ⁠to a bizarre stalking and ⁠harassment campaign carried out by several of its employees in retaliation for their coverage of the e-commerce company in a newsletter they publish. David and Ina Steiner announced the settlement late on Monday, bringing an end to a ⁠...

By Reuters

Read full article →

cnbcMostly Factual5h ago