6 ms·

eBay and former execs will pay $56M to settle harassment of Natick couple

63 points by apress 2mo ago

kotaKat 2mo ago
Wow. This is still going on? I've always still been amused to see the Deferred Prosecution Agreement link at the bottom of every page on eBay, but... just wow. [eBay chief communications officer Steve] Wymer texted [head of eBay security Jim] Baugh that Ina Steiner was a "biased troll who needs to be BURNED DOWN"; that he wanted "to see ashes"; and that Baugh should do "whatever it takes."
dredmorbius 2mo ago
Multiple submissions on this. Other sources: - TechCrunch: <https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/28/ebay-reaches-56m-settlement-with-e-commerce-newsletter-writers-it-terrorized-in-2019/ https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/28/ebay-reaches-56m-settlemen...> - ECommerceBytes: <https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2026/7/1785201549.html https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2026/7/178...> - Reuters: <https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/ebay-former-executives-pay-56-million-settle-couples-harassment-case-2026-07-28/ https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/ebay-former-executi...> - AP News: <https://apnews.com/article/ebay-settlement-d0886f1036e198f77669707db9fe1f2b https://apnews.com/article/ebay-settlement-d0886f1036e198f77...> - NY Times: <https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/technology/ebay-settles-stalking-case.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/technology/ebay-settles-s...> (archive: <https://archive.ph/GD3IR https://archive.ph/GD3IR>) - Ars Technica: <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-execs-pay-56m-to-settle-bloody-pig-mask-harassment-case/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-exec...> - BBC: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj039p238r5o https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj039p238r5o> - The Guardian: <https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/28/ebay-harassment-lawsuit-settlement https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/28/ebay-hara...>
- dredmorbius 2mo ago
  The Verge: <https://www.theverge.com/tech/972209/ebay-cyberstalking-harassment-settlement https://www.theverge.com/tech/972209/ebay-cyberstalking-hara...>
krunck 2mo ago
And no jail time for the ex-CEO? This society has got to stop protecting all the sociopaths.
- intrasight 2mo ago
  That's what I also found unsettling.
- dlcarrier 2mo ago
  Here's a more in-depth article: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-execs-pay-56m-to-settle-bloody-pig-mask-harassment-case/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-exec... Seven former eBay employees and contractors pleaded guilty, and prison sentences were issued to former eBay security executives James Baugh (57 months), David Harville (24 months), Philip Cooke (18 months), and Stephanie Popp (12 months). Two others received a year in home confinement and another was sentenced to time served and a year of supervised release. Pretty much everyone they could pin down was sent to prison, which is relatively rare for harassment cases.

63 points by apress 2mo ago

Wow. This is still going on? I've always still been amused to see the Deferred Prosecution Agreement link at the bottom of every page on eBay, but... just wow. [eBay chief communications officer Steve] Wymer texted [head of eBay security Jim] Baugh that Ina Steiner was a "biased troll who needs to be BURNED DOWN"; that he wanted "to see ashes"; and that Baugh should do "whatever it takes."

dredmorbius 2mo ago

Multiple submissions on this. Other sources: - TechCrunch: <https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/28/ebay-reaches-56m-settlement-with-e-commerce-newsletter-writers-it-terrorized-in-2019/ https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/28/ebay-reaches-56m-settlemen...> - ECommerceBytes: <https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2026/7/1785201549.html https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2026/7/178...> - Reuters: <https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/ebay-former-executives-pay-56-million-settle-couples-harassment-case-2026-07-28/ https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/ebay-former-executi...> - AP News: <https://apnews.com/article/ebay-settlement-d0886f1036e198f77669707db9fe1f2b https://apnews.com/article/ebay-settlement-d0886f1036e198f77...> - NY Times: <https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/technology/ebay-settles-stalking-case.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/technology/ebay-settles-s...> (archive: <https://archive.ph/GD3IR https://archive.ph/GD3IR>) - Ars Technica: <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-execs-pay-56m-to-settle-bloody-pig-mask-harassment-case/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-exec...> - BBC: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj039p238r5o https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj039p238r5o> - The Guardian: <https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/28/ebay-harassment-lawsuit-settlement https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/28/ebay-hara...>

dredmorbius 2mo ago
The Verge: <https://www.theverge.com/tech/972209/ebay-cyberstalking-harassment-settlement https://www.theverge.com/tech/972209/ebay-cyberstalking-hara...>

krunck 2mo ago

And no jail time for the ex-CEO? This society has got to stop protecting all the sociopaths.

intrasight 2mo ago
That's what I also found unsettling.
dlcarrier 2mo ago
Here's a more in-depth article: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-execs-pay-56m-to-settle-bloody-pig-mask-harassment-case/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-exec... Seven former eBay employees and contractors pleaded guilty, and prison sentences were issued to former eBay security executives James Baugh (57 months), David Harville (24 months), Philip Cooke (18 months), and Stephanie Popp (12 months). Two others received a year in home confinement and another was sentenced to time served and a year of supervised release. Pretty much everyone they could pin down was sent to prison, which is relatively rare for harassment cases.