Because Ebay employees bullied authors of an online newsletter, the online platform paid a fine of millions and was placed under supervision for three years. Seven former eBay employees had previously been convicted for sending, among other things, live cockroaches as well as a funeral wreath and a pig mask smeared with fake blood to the blogger couple to intimidate them. Among the articles sent anonymously was an advice book about dealing with the death of a partner.
The public prosecutor in the US state of Massachusetts emphasized that the amount of three million dollars (2.73 million euros) was the highest penalty planned for companies. As procedural documents showed, then-Ebay boss Devin Wenig was dissatisfied with reporting in the newsletter in 2019 and suggested taking action against it. Wenig had not been prosecuted in the case and denied knowing how far security department employees had gone.
The bloggers Ida and David Steiner from the small town of Natick in Massachusetts also sued eBay. The trial is scheduled to begin in March 2025, they wrote on their website. A former eBay security officer who was identified as the leader was sentenced to almost five years in prison in autumn 2022.
