Craigslist has been granted the appointment of a so-called discovery referee to jump-start its ongoing litigation with eBay Inc. (EBAY) over the Internet-auction giant's alleged scheme to pilfer information to use in developing its own rival online classifieds service.
According to a filing in San Francisco Superior Court earlier this week, both companies will now pitch in equally to pay the referee a maximum of $550 an hour.
Craigslist had asked for the appointment of a discovery referee last month. At that time, closely held Craigslist complained that eBay had been a "laggard" in producing necessary documents.