Latest news with #Steiners
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Lawsuit of Natick couple harassed by eBay can go to trial, judge rules
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Barring a settlement, the four-year-old lawsuit could go to trial later this year or early next year. Saris has repeatedly said at hearings that she wants to complete the proceedings as soon as possible. Advertisement Wenig, who received $57 million of severance when he left the company a month after the Steiners were harassed, was not criminally charged in the case and has said he did not know about the effort to terrorize the couple and would have stopped it if he had. Attorneys for the eBay and Wenig did not immediately offer comments on the ruling, which was issued after business hours. Advertisement In a statement, Andrew Finkelstein, a lawyer representing the Steiners, said the couple looked forward to a trial. 'The jury will be asked to fully and fairly compensate the Steiners for being subjected to eBay's terror campaign that attempted to silence their free speech rights, and to punish eBay for their egregious actions,' he wrote. In the ruling, Saris wrote that a jury would need to decide if the company was responsible for approving the actions of lower-level employees who conducted the harassment, a legal issue known as ratification. Based on text messages and alleged conversations, Saris determined a jury could find that eBay's former chief communications officer, Steve Wymer, may have 'ratified the conduct' of former security official Jim Baugh, the for his role. A jury would also need to decide whether Wenig, Wymer, and another former executive named Wendy Jones were negligent in supervising Baugh or participated in a conspiracy against the Steiners, Saris ruled. Those claims could be critical to the case because Saris ruled last year that the Steiners could seek punitive damages — $467 million of the amount they are seeking — only if they prevailed on charges of emotional distress or conspiracy. In her Tuesday ruling, Saris also trimmed some of the roughly $62 million the Steiners are seeking for other damages. Saris also dismissed charges that the company had defamed the couple. The judge also dismissed charges against a Nevada-based security contractor that worked for eBay called Progressive Force Concepts. Aaron Pressman can be reached at
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jenny Carchman Explores ‘Very Crazy Story' of eBay Harassment Campaign in Fremantle's ‘Whatever It Takes: Inside the eBay Scandal,' Debuts Teaser (EXCLUSIVE)
In 2019, Ina and David Steiner became the victims of a cyberstalking campaign. There were threats, odd deliveries to their home – from a bloody pig mask to late-night pizza – and terrifying messages. Soon, they found it wasn't some individual, unhappy with their reporting on EcommerceBytes website. It was eBay. 'It's a very crazy story,' director Jenny Carchman told Variety. More from Variety Fremantle Brings 'Costiera,' Epic Adventure 'Sandokan' to London TV Screenings: 'It's 'Poldark' Meets 'Pirates of the Caribbean' High-Energy Game Show 'Ants,' Inspired by Ant Colonies, Picked Up by Fremantle: Show Highlights 'the Power of Unity and Teamwork' (EXCLUSIVE) Jamie Oliver Expands Tastemade Presence in New Fremantle Deal (EXCLUSIVE) In 'Whatever It Takes: Inside the eBay Scandal,' she exposes the bad side of the company whose slogan claimed that 'people are basically good.' 'When I spoke to the Steiners, the anxiety of not knowing [who's behind the harassment] and not being able to stop it was the most frustrating thing. They really, really suffered psychologically, to the point where they wouldn't leave the house,' she said. 'Sometimes David would drive to the store and Ina would be lying down in the backseat, because she didn't know who was watching them. I wanted to mirror this stress and tension of having to look over your shoulder all the time.' Carchman discovered the story thanks to a 2020 The New York Times article focusing on, among others, eBay security director Jim Baugh. 'One of the things it touched upon were the movies he would show his staff,' she recalls. The list included 'American Gangster,' 'The Wolf of Wall Street' or 'Johnny Be Good'. 'I thought to myself: 'My gosh. This would make for a great film'.' While explosive – all it took was Ina Steiner's post about eBay's lawsuit against Amazon to irk ex-CEO Devin Wenig – the article's revelations flew 'under the radar,' she admitted, sandwiched in between another a wave of COVID and a November election. 'We reached out to as many people as we could, and nobody wanted to talk to us. Coincidentally, our producer Allyson Luchak had made a film about corruption in the Boston Police Department ['Trial 4']. The Steiners watched it and hired an attorney based on that film.' 'Whatever It Takes' – named after a phrase used by former PR chief Steve Wymer – is produced by Big Pond Films, Undeniable – a Fremantle label – and Concordia. Fremantle is handling worldwide sales. It has shared a clip with Variety in exclusivity. 'We've all seen such a shift from how one is supposed to behave in the workplace. It shifted drastically with the #MeToo movement, with Black Lives Matter. But now, what we're seeing in the U.S. and what we're seeing with this administration, is a new wave of real divisiveness. People wanting to protect what's 'theirs,' protect the way the company should run.' eBay's employees, including Carchman's interviewee Veronica Zea, 'believed that anything they do would be sanctioned by the company.' Later, they found themselves in the midst of an FBI investigation. 'She was terrified. That was the culture Baugh created: 'If you don't do what I tell you, you'll never be able to find another job.' It's shocking it was happening in 2019. #MeToo has already taken shape and yet they were showing these films and hiring young women, calling them 'Jim's Angels' because of that TV show.' Carchman also had to figure out how to show the cyberstalking in an engaging way. 'I thought about it all the time. What do you do with a story that happens online? On their phones, on their computer? How do you bring that to life and how do you make it feel scary? The ways to do that had to do with the music, but also with the color of the screen, for example. We tried to find all these nuances to make it exciting visually.' Carchman wasn't afraid of eBay's retaliation, she said. 'Of course it crossed my mind. I don't want to say there's no risk involved, but I'm willing to put myself out there because I don't think it's okay, what happened to them. I don't think it's okay for any company to abuse their power like that.' She added: 'It's all about drive. It becomes a puzzle you just want to complete. You can't stop: you can't stop reading or talking to people. The sellers were the most afraid, afraid that eBay would cut off their livelihood or hurt them in some way. That, to me, was the most surprising piece. Because without the sellers, eBay doesn't exist.' The film might be complete, but the story isn't. 'I did want to leave it bittersweet because it's about people. It's about your own morals, your own ethics, your own feeling of what's right and wrong. Devin Wenig said: 'Take them down.' For what reason? It was an insignificant blog. It was all about ego,' says Carchman. Seven eBay employees were charged by the FBI, with several facing prison sentences. Devin Wenig resigned with a $57 million exit package, denying any involvement. 'Right now, the Steiners are pursuing a civil lawsuit. When it goes to trial, if it goes to trial, there will be more to come.' Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in March 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win?
