Prosecutors said eBay employees launched a coordinated harassment campaign against the Steiners, transforming a dispute over journalism into one of the most extraordinary corporate retaliation cases in recent memory. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice charged seven former eBay executives and employees with cyberstalking and related offenses. All pleaded guilty, several served prison sentences, and eBay separately agreed to pay a $3 million criminal penalty under a deferred prosecution agreement. After an earlier settlement effort collapsed in early 2026, both sides reached a final agreement in late July. "We continue to extend our deepest apologies to the Steiners," eBay said in a statement after the civil settlement was announced.