A jury in North Dakota has found Greenpeace liable for defamation and ordered it to pay Dallas-based Energy Transfer LP hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
The jury found the environmental group responsible for damages allegedly suffered by Energy Transfer in one of the largest anti-fossil fuel demonstrations in the country’s history. Greenpeace has been ordered to pay $660 million, which it said could force it into bankruptcy.
Greenpeace maintains that it did not lead the protests against the pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Instead, it says the demonstrations were led by local indigenous leaders who opposed the energy infrastructure. Greenpeace also alleges that the lawsuit threatens free speech and intends to appeal the verdict.
“This case should alarm everyone, no matter their political inclinations,” said Sushma Raman, interim executive director of Greenpeace Inc, Greenpeace Fund, in a March 19 press release.
“It’s part of a renewed push by corporations to weaponise our courts to silence dissent. We should all be concerned about the future of the First Amendment, and lawsuits like this aimed at destroying our rights to peaceful protest and free speech.”
The case occurred in Mandan, roughly 100 miles north of the demonstrations. Energy Transfer’s lawyer, Trey Cox, said the environmental organization’s actions cost the company between $265 million and $340 million in damages. He asked the jury to award the company for the lost amount and additional damages.
Protests over the pipeline started in April 2016 and were eventually dispersed by the National Guard and local law enforcement by February 2017. At its height, the site saw 10,000 protestors demonstrating, including over 200 Native American tribes, hundreds of U.S. military veterans, and even high-profile celebrities and politicians.
While the nearly 1,200-mile pipeline has remained operational since 2018, it still lacks a permit to operate under South Dakota’s Lake Oahe. Local tribes continue to push for an environmental review of the project.
“Energy Transfer hasn’t heard the last of us in this fight,” said Greenpeace International General Counsel Kristin Casper in the press release. “We will see Energy Transfer in court this July in the Netherlands. We will not back down. We will not be silenced.”