Greenpeace must pay over $660M in case over Dakota Access protest activities, jury finds

https://apnews.com/article/greenpeace-dakota-access-pipeline-lawsuit-
verdict-5036944c1d2e7d3d7b704437e8110fbb

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) — Environmental group Greenpeace must pay more than $660 
million in damages for defamation and other claims brought by a pipeline 
company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil 
pipeline’s construction in North Dakota, a jury found Wednesday.

Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access had accused 
Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm 
Greenpeace Fund Inc. of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy 
and other acts. Greenpeace USA was found liable for all counts, while the 
others were found liable for some. The damages owed will be spread out in 
different amounts over the three entities.

Greenpeace said earlier that a large award to the pipeline company would 
threaten to bankrupt the organization. Following the nine-person jury’s 
verdict, Greenpeace’s senior legal adviser said the group’s work “is never 
going to stop.”

“That’s the really important message today, and we’re just walking out and 
we’re going to get together and figure out what our next steps are,” Deepa 
Padmanabha told reporters outside the courthouse.

The organization later said it plans to appeal the decision.

“The fight against Big Oil is not over today,” Greenpeace International 
General Counsel Kristin Casper said. “We know that the law and the truth 
are on our side.”

She said the group will see Energy Transfer in court in July in Amsterdam 
in an anti-intimidation lawsuit filed there last month.


The damages total nearly $666.9 million. The jury found Greenpeace USA 
must pay the bulk of the damages, nearly $404 million, while Greenpeace 
Fund Inc. and Greenpeace International would each pay roughly $131 
million.

Energy Transfer called Wednesday’s verdict a “win” for “Americans who 
understand the difference between the right to free speech and breaking 
the law.”

“While we are pleased that Greenpeace has been held accountable for their 
actions against us, this win is really for the people of Mandan and 
throughout North Dakota who had to live through the daily harassment and 
disruptions caused by the protesters who were funded and trained by 
Greenpeace,” the company said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The company previously said the state court lawsuit was about Greenpeace 
not following the law, not free speech.

In a statement, Energy Transfer attorney Trey Cox said, “This verdict 
clearly conveys that when this right to peacefully protest is abused in a 
lawless and exploitative manner, such actions will be held accountable.”

The case reaches back to protests in 2016 and 2017 against the Dakota 
Access Pipeline and its Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing 
Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation. For years the tribe has opposed the line 
as a risk to its water supply.

The multistate pipeline transports about 5% of the United States’ daily 
oil production. It started transporting oil in mid-2017.

Cox had said Greenpeace carried out a scheme to stop the pipeline’s 
construction. During opening statements, he alleged Greenpeace paid 
outsiders to come into the area and protest, sent blockade supplies, 
organized or led protester trainings, and made untrue statements about the 
project to stop it.

Attorneys for the Greenpeace entities had said there was no evidence to 
the claims and that Greenpeace employees had little or no involvement in 
the protests and the organizations had nothing to do with Energy 
Transfer’s delays in construction or refinancing.


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