eBay agrees to $56 million settlement with e-commerce newsletter writers
E-commerce platform eBay has reached a $56 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit stemming from its 2019 efforts to intimidate a pair of e-commerce newsletter writers who had been critical of the company.
E-commerce company eBay has agreed to a $56 million settlement in a lawsuit concerning its alleged attempts to intimidate Ina and David Steiner, writers of an e-commerce newsletter who had published critical coverage of the company. The Steiners claimed eBay executives orchestrated a campaign to silence them.
Court filings indicated that eBay's former senior director of sensitive operations was involved in a plan to direct eBay's security team to harass the Steiners. The goal was reportedly to stop the couple from publishing negative stories about eBay.
The settlement resolves a case that garnered significant attention, raising questions about corporate intimidation tactics. The exact terms of the settlement have not been disclosed by the parties involved.
The dispute began when the Steiners wrote articles critical of eBay. This coverage allegedly prompted high-level executives at eBay to devise a plan to instill fear in the couple and halt their reporting, leading to the legal action.