Natick Couple Settles Bizarre eBay Harassment Lawsuit For $55.7 Million: Firm

NATCIK, MA — A Natick couple settled a lawsuit accusing former eBay employees of bizarre harassment over their e-commerce blog for $55.7 million, according to their attorneys.

The lawsuit brought by Ina and David Steiner specifically named the company, its former executive Devin Wenig and other former executives. Wenig was not a part of the criminal case that resulted in seven convictions against former employees and a criminal penalty of $3 million, which is the statutory maximum fine for these six felony offenses.

Among other things, several of the defendants ordered anonymous and "disturbing" deliveries to the victims’ home, including a preserved fetal pig, a bloody pig Halloween mask and a book on surviving the loss of a spouse, the suit said.

As part of the second phase of the campaign, some of the defendants sent private Twitter messages and public tweets criticizing the newsletter’s content and threatening to visit the victims in Natick, according to the lawsuit.

The law firm representing the Steiners, Scalli Murphy Law, announced the settlement Monday in a blog post.

"The settlement follows over six years of criminal and civil proceedings," the post said. "In addition to substantial compensation for the plaintiffs, the resolution includes significant charitable commitments, personal financial contributions from former eBay executives, a public statement by eBay, and no confidentiality restrictions."

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