What's the eBay response to 60 minutes segment on harassing journalists for trying to do their jobs?

[peszar-0]

This is SICK tactics by eBay to try and bring down a journalist who is trying to bring to light a crackdown on 2nd Amendment rights. And the CEO exits with a golden parachute. **bleep**!!!!!!

[rugerskick]

Most involved were either senior mgmt or officers.  The ceo and cco were directing this.  The senior mgmt, directors and such, executed the order to take them down, do whatever it takes, as long as it takes, they want to crush this lady.  So please.  They knew about them for years and finally decided to attack them with the power they had as leaders of a massive company.

[zamo-zuan]

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@rugerskick wrote:

Also there were executives involved, I now see that info:

"Investigators learned in April of 2019,  eBay's then CEO Devin Wenig shared a link to this post Ina had written about his annual pay. EBay's Chief Communications Officer,  Steve Wymer,  wrote back "we are going to crush this lady" about a month later, Wenig, the CEO of eBay  texted: "take her down."  Prosecutors say Steve Wymer later texted eBay security director  Jim Baugh "I want to see ashes. as long as it takes. whatever it takes."  - CBS news, 60 minutes info

TAKE HER DOWN, from ebay ceo officer

WE ARE GOING TO CRUSH THIS LADY, from ebay cco

I WANT TO SEE ASHES, AS LONG AS IT TAKES, WHATEVER IT TAKES, ebay cco

Fact is most of the people doing this, approving this, were officers, who directed itbut didn't execute it, and senior team management, who carried out the order and did the detail work.

These people were hated by ebay for years prior and in 2019 they executed revenge.  Don't think for one second it would not have continued if they didn't get that photograph of the van license plate that tied back to Veronica, who got an incredibly light slap on the wrist for what she did.  The ebay cco said AS LONG AS IT TAKES, WHATEVER IT TAKES.

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Every time I hear "Whatever it takes" with him nowadays it's hard not to get disgusted. Especially when this same man is leading the Boys & Girls club using #WhateverItTakes as a motto:

[mam98031]

"Fact is most of the people doing this, approving this, were officers, who directed itbut didn't execute it, and senior team management, who carried out the order and did the detail work."

I'm not so sure about that.  Yes most that got convicted were Managers of some sort in Ebay, and one of the 7 was at the director level.  Wenig has never been charged.

"These people were hated by ebay for years prior and in 2019 they executed revenge. "

What do you mean "hated by Ebay"?  It is likely more accurate to say that some employed by Ebay did not like the site.  To say the entirety of Ebay hated them is highly likely to be a huge overstatement.

I don't think you are saying much that hasn't already been covered in this long thread.  Certainly the behavior would have continued if they were found out.  That is an easy conclusion to come to.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

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@mam98031 wrote:

"Fact is most of the people doing this, approving this, were officers, who directed itbut didn't execute it, and senior team management, who carried out the order and did the detail work."

I'm not so sure about that.  Yes most that got convicted were Managers of some sort in Ebay, and one of the 7 was at the director level.  Wenig has never been charged.

"These people were hated by ebay for years prior and in 2019 they executed revenge. "

What do you mean "hated by Ebay"?  It is likely more accurate to say that some employed by Ebay did not like the site.  To say the entirety of Ebay hated them is highly likely to be a huge overstatement.

I don't think you are saying much that hasn't already been covered in this long thread.  Certainly the behavior would have continued if they were found out.  That is an easy conclusion to come to.

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Honestly it's a more interesting discussion from legal ends.

Can a company be lawfully and successfully sued for the actions of some full time employee's and management taking out after another businesses entities.  The blog is a business who's principals are the Steiners.

As matter of stalking, harassments, threats, property damage those are matters of law enforcement and certainly civil action can ensure against those parties as individuals given proofs and/or traceable testimonies of perpetrators.

In our local school district which is a public entity the answer was no yet a school system is certainly different than a corporation.  People seem to neglect that if I set up a blog that is publicly accessible and claim be a journalist covering whatever the topic, politics or golf news I have put myself out there as a public figure.  An immediate question would be that of credentials, indeed do I have the schooling and know the pertinent legalities and what it means to be a public figure?

"Freedom of the press" was generally intended for "The Press" and the Internet has convoluted exactly what the definition journalism means.  And, certainly throughout America's sorted history it's been put to the measure all the way back to the foundations of land under British occupation, American Revolution, Civil War, The days of the Robber Barons in railroads and much much more.  I could probably make a decent case that if the Internet existed back in any of those times America wouldn't exist today.

There are questions, have they attempted sue the actual perpetrators and if so what were the results?

In suing eBay in a rather abstracted way the Board of Directors, shareholders etc. as having stake in the corporation are being sued.  Is it the corporations culpability of what their employee's do or do not do towards external entities regardless of position or command by principles thereof?

Lets spin the wheel.

I'm in a tavern sloshing down a brew and there over that table are five employee's from Gidget Gadget's Kitty Farm Toys (We've cat named Gidget).  Now my blog had reviewed and reported upon that corporation and my blog is a business as well.  Some of my MEOWS (LOL) have been favorable, some unfavorable and they really are not too fond of my blog.  So at the table they decide they're gonna have at me maybe not right then, maybe weeks away after first terrorizing me.  Now who the perp's are doesn't matter, their employee's, whether the Janitor directed it or mid management or upper should not be a factor.  If that's a factor to anybody it should be a factor towards the employee's who are to have at me right?  I mean, they're being directed.

Now the rest of the company from the fella who stuff's kitty toys to his manager, share holders, on and on have no clue this plan has been hatched.

Fortunately before they able to "stomp my tail" in the Kittyverse law enforcement came into play because they were not defunded, caught, arrested and the DA charged the Perps.  The court found them guilty and subsequently punished them.

Now do I have the grounds for a successful lawsuit wanting millions of dollars from Gidget Gadget Inc for the plot created in the tavern?

There's all sorts of questions I'd have but what one gets in the media unremarkably is just the large picture and that tends be same with anything covered by media.  Public never gets see all the details yet cares to be judge jury based on their own limited information(s) and law invented their heads.

[valueaddedresource]

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@retro_entertainment_collectibles wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

"Fact is most of the people doing this, approving this, were officers, who directed itbut didn't execute it, and senior team management, who carried out the order and did the detail work."

I'm not so sure about that.  Yes most that got convicted were Managers of some sort in Ebay, and one of the 7 was at the director level.  Wenig has never been charged.

"These people were hated by ebay for years prior and in 2019 they executed revenge. "

What do you mean "hated by Ebay"?  It is likely more accurate to say that some employed by Ebay did not like the site.  To say the entirety of Ebay hated them is highly likely to be a huge overstatement.

I don't think you are saying much that hasn't already been covered in this long thread.  Certainly the behavior would have continued if they were found out.  That is an easy conclusion to come to.

---

Honestly it's a more interesting discussion from legal ends.

Can a company be lawfully and successfully sued for the actions of some full time employee's and management taking out after another businesses entities.  The blog is a business who's principals are the Steiners.

As matter of stalking, harassments, threats, property damage those are matters of law enforcement and certainly civil action can ensure against those parties as individuals given proofs and/or traceable testimonies of perpetrators.

In our local school district which is a public entity the answer was no yet a school system is certainly different than a corporation.  People seem to neglect that if I set up a blog that is publicly accessible and claim be a journalist covering whatever the topic, politics or golf news I have put myself out there as a public figure.  An immediate question would be that of credentials, indeed do I have the schooling and know the pertinent legalities and what it means to be a public figure?

"Freedom of the press" was generally intended for "The Press" and the Internet has convoluted exactly what the definition journalism means.  And, certainly throughout America's sorted history it's been put to the measure all the way back to the foundations of land under British occupation, American Revolution, Civil War, The days of the Robber Barons in railroads and much much more.  I could probably make a decent case that if the Internet existed back in any of those times America wouldn't exist today.

There are questions, have they attempted sue the actual perpetrators and if so what were the results?

In suing eBay in a rather abstracted way the Board of Directors, shareholders etc. as having stake in the corporation are being sued.  Is it the corporations culpability of what their employee's do or do not do towards external entities regardless of position or command by principles thereof?

Lets spin the wheel.

I'm in a tavern sloshing down a brew and there over that table are five employee's from Gidget Gadget's Kitty Farm Toys (We've cat named Gidget).  Now my blog had reviewed and reported upon that corporation and my blog is a business as well.  Some of my MEOWS (LOL) have been favorable, some unfavorable and they really are not too fond of my blog.  So at the table they decide they're gonna have at me maybe not right then, maybe weeks away after first terrorizing me.  Now who the perp's are doesn't matter, their employee's, whether the Janitor directed it or mid management or upper should not be a factor.  If that's a factor to anybody it should be a factor towards the employee's who are to have at me right?  I mean, they're being directed.

Now the rest of the company from the fella who stuff's kitty toys to his manager, share holders, on and on have no clue this plan has been hatched.

Fortunately before they able to "stomp my tail" in the Kittyverse law enforcement came into play because they were not defunded, caught, arrested and the DA charged the Perps.  The court found them guilty and subsequently punished them.

Now do I have the grounds for a successful lawsuit wanting millions of dollars from Gidget Gadget Inc for the plot created in the tavern?

There's all sorts of questions I'd have but what one gets in the media unremarkably is just the large picture and that tends be same with anything covered by media.  Public never gets see all the details yet cares to be judge jury based on their own limited information(s) and law invented their heads.

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@retro_entertainment_collectibles many of your questions are answered in the court documents in the case.

The current list of defendants the Steiners are suing in the civil case and their titles at the time of the events:

The seven people charged criminally (so far) -

Senior Director Security Jim Baugh

Director of Global Resiliency David Harville,

Security Manager Philip Cooke

Senior Manager of Special Operations Brian Gilbert

Senior Manager of Global Intelligence Stephanie Popp

Global Intelligence Manager Stephanie Stockwell

and security analyst Veronica Zea who was a contractor (her employment was through security company Progressive F.O.R.C.E Concepts LLC, not eBay directly)

In addition to those who were charged in the criminal case, the civil case also includes -

CEO Devin Wenig

Chief Communications Officer Steve Wymer

SVP Global Operations Wendy Jones

eBay Inc. (the corporation)

Progressive F.O.R.C.E Concepts LLC (the corporation)

and Steve Krystek, CEO of Progressive F.O.R.C.E Concepts LLC (personally)

There is also a John and Jane DOE listed, but no real information has been revealed so far to indicate who they are or what their roles might have been.

From the most recently filed version of the civil complaint:

At all times relevant to this Complaint, the individually named Defendants were acting in concert with one another, as agents and employees of eBay and/or PFC, within the scope of their employment with the intent to benefit their employers in furtherance of eBay’s direct command through Chief Executive Officer Defendant Wenig, Senior Vice President Chief Communications Officer Defendant Wymer and Senior Vice President of Global Operations Defendant Wendy Jones.

When Defendants Baugh, Harville, Gilbert, Cooke, Popp, Stockwell, and others were carrying out the directives of Defendants Wenig, Wymer and Jones, all were acting within the scope of their employment with and for the benefit of eBay.

Defendant Zea was employed by Defendant PFC and contracted with eBay, and was acting within the scope of her employment with PFC with the assistance of Defendant Krystek when carrying out Defendants Wenig, Wymer and Jones’ directives.

Other Jane and John DOE Defendants were either employed by eBay, or contracted by eBay through PFC; in carrying out the directives of Defendants Wenig and Wymer, they were acting within the scope of their employment.

The case has of course not been decided yet, so it remains to be seen whether the arguments for why all of those people/corporations should be held liable will hold up, but there is significantly more than you may have read in media reports and I definitely do not believe it's the slam dunk "not liable" case for eBay you seem to think it is.

Companies like eBay have corporate governance and reporting requirements and "failure to supervise" could come into play if they "didn't know" but a jury finds they reasonably should have known or at least been more proactive in making sure they knew what was going on in their company so that this sort of thing couldn't happen.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

I don't believe I ever said, "Slam dunk" anything can happen which is up to a judge or judges in case of appeals.  From what I've read the CEO and others were not arrested as it could not be proved they'd engaged in directing the activities but again, its up to a judge not me and I assume the court is looking at various case law.

Certainly it was WAY wrong for any of parties to terrorize the family just as it's also valid to say no entities should be terrorizing mainstream journalists, congressman and women, senators, supreme court justices or other public figures.  As I noted America has very sorted history of just that back to it's very foundations and seldom for right or wrong were the business associated held liable.  If you review The Robber Barons history or even closer in time that of the Coal and mining history it's absolutely astonishing the wrongs nor were many of the victims public figures albeit many were.

One thing that is certain is civilization really isn't any more civilized than it's sorted history and the Internet has very much blown allot of it back up.

[rugerskick]

I think its pretty clear by the emails they basically gave a "take care of them" order, a blanket order, that was sent along with stuff about crushing the woman, doing whatever it takes, as long as it takes", but not actually planning what would be done.  But the ceo/cco gave the green light to their underlings, do whatever was necessary.

So its like a mafia don saying "take care of them" or "you know what to do" but keeping their hands technically clean.  They approved it and wanted it done.  And this isn't a leap considering they were going to send them a dead feral pig as a "statement".

[gurlcat]

For those who don't know, one of the biggest differences between criminal and civil trials is the level of certainty juries must have in order to convict.  In criminal trials, the jury must unanimously agree that the prosecution proved guilt "beyond reasonable doubt", whereas in civil trials there need only be "a preponderance of evidence" meaning the jury can convict even if there is a little bit of reasonable doubt.  The reason behind this difference is the difference in punishment, a prison term and a criminal record, versus loss of money and no criminal record.   And yeah the loss of money can be jaw-dropping, but most people would still find that preferable to loss of freedom for X number of years, with all the horrors that life in prison brings.  

The classic textbook comparison between these two trial types (and the level of proof needed) is O.J. Simpson.  His criminal jury found enough reasonable doubt to acquit him, but his civil jury found enough preponderance of evidence to convict him (not of "murder" but of "wrongful death"), so he had to pay millions to the family members for their loss. 

It COULD turn out to be the same with the Ebay executives, despite the fact that they weren't even arrested for their text messages which arguably give the appearance of intending for subordinates to harass the Steiners.  I would just guess that the criminal prosecutors knew there was too much of a lack of direct evidence between the texts (among themselves) versus the behaviors carried out by the subordinates, that it would be a guaranteed loss as a criminal trial, because that lack of evidence is classic reasonable doubt.  But if only a preponderance of evidence were needed ..........

[vintagecraze50]

Thank you for clarifying all of this in detail. It is a dangerous enterprise right now for people to be commenting and blogging. It has on many occasions  led to suicide, murders, outrageous anger directed at innocent people and yes it needs to be regulated. While I have the utmost sympathy and respect for what the Steiners went through I would advise them to always be very very careful with people who post on their site. If that one Fido guy gal had not been posting continuously and with venom and hate as well as others on there this whole thing may or may not have even happened at all. No excuses either for ebay and their horrendous staff that did this to these people.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

@rugerskick  Fetal pig, not feral pig.  It was a pig's fetus, but the company was unable to complete the order.  

@zamo-zuan   I'm glad I'm not the only one horrificly disgusted by his using the hastag #whatever it takes in annoucing his new position.  It is beyond tacky, uncouth & a million more things I could say.  That guy needs to do jail time.  Making fun of the whole situation & taunting everyone that he got off scot free is reprehensible.  I hope the Mayor of SJ is sorry for his supporting this arrogant piece of you know what.  

[rugerskick]

Whoops!  Yep, fetal pig.  🙂

[mam98031]

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@rugerskick wrote:

I think its pretty clear by the emails they basically gave a "take care of them" order, a blanket order, that was sent along with stuff about crushing the woman, doing whatever it takes, as long as it takes", but not actually planning what would be done.  But the ceo/cco gave the green light to their underlings, do whatever was necessary.

So its like a mafia don saying "take care of them" or "you know what to do" but keeping their hands technically clean.  They approved it and wanted it done.  And this isn't a leap considering they were going to send them a dead feral pig as a "statement".

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Yet the CEO has never been charged.  So it isn't "pretty clear" as far as the justice system is concerned.  But as it has been said on this thread.  The burden of evidence is not as steep in a Civil case as in a Criminal case.

[chapeau-noir]

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@simply-the-best-for-you wrote:

@rugerskick  Fetal pig, not feral pig.  It was a pig's fetus, but the company was unable to complete the order.  

@zamo-zuan   I'm glad I'm not the only one horrificly disgusted by his using the hastag #whatever it takes in annoucing his new position.  It is beyond tacky, uncouth & a million more things I could say.  That guy needs to do jail time.  Making fun of the whole situation & taunting everyone that he got off scot free is reprehensible.  I hope the Mayor of SJ is sorry for his supporting this arrogant piece of you know what.  

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He got that position through influence and back scratching, not qualifications.  He shouldn't be let anywhere NEAR kids.

[vintagecraze50]

OK, so twitter when Trump was bellowing about his divergent point of view regarding the election results was allowed to post his divergent point of view to the point where barbarians invaded the White House. Oh yes he had freedom of speech to a point. Fido and others posting on the blog where expressing continuous and unfettered negative comments about the CEO, and the company in general. Enough to anger the higher ups who of course want to protect their company. The relevance of peoples negative comment can get really out of control and be NOT representative, nor true of what they are babbling about. Buy hey, that’s for the public to decide right.

[vintagecraze50]

So glad Mr Wymer has found a great new job and focusing his talents on helping youth. I will not comment on his character because regardless of what he said while he worked for ebay and any possible mistakes that he might have made  he has devoted his life to helping others.