this post was submitted on 12 Jan 2024
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eBay hit with $3M fine, admits to “terrorizing innocent people”::eBay must pay maximum fine for putting Massachusetts couple “through pure hell.”

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[–] thehatfox@lemmy.world 60 points 10 months ago (3 children)

eBay’s revenue in the last financial year was over $10 billion, I’m sure that $3 million fine will make sure they never terrorise innocents again.

[–] killeronthecorner@lemmy.world 65 points 10 months ago (2 children)

From another article

All seven who participated in the harassment have been convicted. Baugh was sentenced to 57 months in prison in September 2022.

It was a small group of employees targeting one couple, and it looks like most of them will be going to prison.

While I agree that the $3m is chump change for eBay, the victims deserve the settlement, and some justice has been served.

[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 33 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It was ”a small group of employees” instigated by the CEO and CCO, who were never charged.

[–] killeronthecorner@lemmy.world 15 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

"Instigated" implying conspiracy that was not found to exist, or they would have been charged.

eBay's board found the same: https://www.ebayinc.com/stories/news/ebay-inc-issues-statement-regarding-indictments-of-previously-terminated-employees/

They're assholes, but there are no laws against being an asshole.

[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

“Instigated” in the age-old “will no one rid me of this turbulent priest” sense.

They weren’t charged, only because laws have always been understood to afford a loophole of plausible deniability to those in power.

[–] killeronthecorner@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Which the CCO was not afforded. Strange zig-zagging lines to draw.

Always attribute to stupidity ... etc.

[–] robotica@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

You're supposed to just blindly hate the corporations, no matter the intentions or actions!!1

[–] Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's great to hear that the people responsible will actually do time for what they did

Usually when you hear about people at a corporation doing some shitty stuff all you hear about is fines

[–] GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip 7 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Probably because they’re employees, not management.

[–] jqubed@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The then-Senior Director of Safety and Security for eBay got an almost 5 year prison sentence, and it seems he reported directly to the CEO. That sounds like management to me!

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

And yet the CEO is walking free, and the business is still in operation.

[–] skydivekingair@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Please read the article before commenting.

[–] Feirdro@lemmy.world 13 points 10 months ago

Since corporations are people, surely we can jail the CEO and board and prevent them from doing any business for 24 months?

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Honest question, this was a criminal proceeding, right?

Couldn't they now go after individuals through civil action, where burden of proof is lower, and damage claims can be pretty significant?

I don't really know, I suspect finding a legal team willing to go after ebay senior management may be challenging to find?

[–] tquid@sh.itjust.works 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

If you have civil and criminal causes of action, it’s often expedient to pursue the criminal one first, as it’s admissible as evidence in the civil case—the reverse isn’t usually true. I would be very surprised if there were not a settlement very soon, which unfortunately we will probably never hear about.

With the facts of the criminal case, I don’t think they would have any difficulty at all getting a legal team to go after EBay. It’s a risk/reward thing for them and the pockets they’d be going after are very deep.