MANDAN, ND - On Wednesday, March 26th, a North Dakota jury found Greenpeace liable for defamation and other charges related to protests at the Dakota Access Pipeline. The controversial environmental advocacy group has to pay out $300 million to a Texas-based energy company in damages.
Greenpeace said the ruling could result in "financial ruin" as it now likely faces bankruptcy. According to Forbes, A nine-person jury awarded Energy Transfer nearly $300 million in damages from Greenpeace after the company accused the group of defamation, trespassing, nuisance, civil conspiracy, and other claims.
Greenpeace, which has its headquarters in Amsterdam, warned that the $300 million judgment would force the group to shut down its operations in the United States, as the amount represents about 10 times the group's annual budget.
Energy Transfer's attorney, Trey Cox, who alleged that Greenpeace was responsible for about $340 million in damages, has requested additional punitive damages. Energy Transfer, which controls the Dakota Access Pipeline, accused Greenpeace for orchestrating an "unlawful and violent scheme" to cause "financial harm" to the company.
They claimed that Greenpeace tried to disrupt the pipeline's construction while defaming Energy Transfer through a series of protests. Cox reportedly argued that Greenpeace paid protesters to come to the pipeline, organize protester training sessions, and made false statements about the pipeline to halt its construction.
Cox cited protester training videos that were allegedly funded by Greenpeace and letters the group sent to at least 17 banks that helped fund the pipeline. Greenpeace denied the claims and said it had little to no involvement in the protests, suggesting its only involvement was a letter voicing opposition to the pipeline to the banks while also arguing the group was protected by the First Amendment.
Deepa Padmanabha, senior legal advisor for Greenpeace's U.S. operations, claimed in a statement to Forbes that Energy Transfer "[distorted] the truth" about the group's role in the protests. Padmanabha said that Energy Transfer's lawsuit was "aimed at destroying our rights to peaceful protest and free speech."
Fox News reported that Cox said, "Our lawsuit is about recovering damages for the harm Greenpeace caused our company. It is not about free speech. Their organizing, funding, and encouraging the unlawful destruction of property and the dissemination goes well beyond the exercise of free speech."
A "pirate-style" protest led to another massive fine that Greenpeace had to pay out. They settled a lawsuit with Shell after four individuals affiliated with the group boarded and occupied a Shell oil company vessel for two weeks in 2023. The activists "unlawfully scaled" a moving vessel in the North Sea while carrying a banner reading "Stop Drilling. Start Paying."
Due to the incident, Greenpeace was ordered to make a payment of 300k pounds to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and the group was barred from going within 500 meters of a Shell platform in the North Sea.
Commenting on the North Dakota ruling, a representative for Energy Transfer told Fox News Digital that it was "very pleased that Greenpeace has been held accountable for their actions against us and that the jury recognized these were not law-abiding, peaceful protests as Greenpeace tried to claim."
A representative for Greenpeace international said that the ruling does not impact Greenpeace's 24 other national and regional organizations. The representative said that these groups will "continue functioning as normal even in the worst case scenario." The representative also pointed out that Greenpeace is counter-suing Energy Transfer in a Netherlands court to recover all fines lost in the North Dakota case.
Greenpeace said the ruling could result in "financial ruin" as it now likely faces bankruptcy. According to Forbes, A nine-person jury awarded Energy Transfer nearly $300 million in damages from Greenpeace after the company accused the group of defamation, trespassing, nuisance, civil conspiracy, and other claims.
Greenpeace, which has its headquarters in Amsterdam, warned that the $300 million judgment would force the group to shut down its operations in the United States, as the amount represents about 10 times the group's annual budget.
Energy Transfer's attorney, Trey Cox, who alleged that Greenpeace was responsible for about $340 million in damages, has requested additional punitive damages. Energy Transfer, which controls the Dakota Access Pipeline, accused Greenpeace for orchestrating an "unlawful and violent scheme" to cause "financial harm" to the company.
They claimed that Greenpeace tried to disrupt the pipeline's construction while defaming Energy Transfer through a series of protests. Cox reportedly argued that Greenpeace paid protesters to come to the pipeline, organize protester training sessions, and made false statements about the pipeline to halt its construction.
Cox cited protester training videos that were allegedly funded by Greenpeace and letters the group sent to at least 17 banks that helped fund the pipeline. Greenpeace denied the claims and said it had little to no involvement in the protests, suggesting its only involvement was a letter voicing opposition to the pipeline to the banks while also arguing the group was protected by the First Amendment.
Deepa Padmanabha, senior legal advisor for Greenpeace's U.S. operations, claimed in a statement to Forbes that Energy Transfer "[distorted] the truth" about the group's role in the protests. Padmanabha said that Energy Transfer's lawsuit was "aimed at destroying our rights to peaceful protest and free speech."
Fox News reported that Cox said, "Our lawsuit is about recovering damages for the harm Greenpeace caused our company. It is not about free speech. Their organizing, funding, and encouraging the unlawful destruction of property and the dissemination goes well beyond the exercise of free speech."
A "pirate-style" protest led to another massive fine that Greenpeace had to pay out. They settled a lawsuit with Shell after four individuals affiliated with the group boarded and occupied a Shell oil company vessel for two weeks in 2023. The activists "unlawfully scaled" a moving vessel in the North Sea while carrying a banner reading "Stop Drilling. Start Paying."
Due to the incident, Greenpeace was ordered to make a payment of 300k pounds to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and the group was barred from going within 500 meters of a Shell platform in the North Sea.
Commenting on the North Dakota ruling, a representative for Energy Transfer told Fox News Digital that it was "very pleased that Greenpeace has been held accountable for their actions against us and that the jury recognized these were not law-abiding, peaceful protests as Greenpeace tried to claim."
A representative for Greenpeace international said that the ruling does not impact Greenpeace's 24 other national and regional organizations. The representative said that these groups will "continue functioning as normal even in the worst case scenario." The representative also pointed out that Greenpeace is counter-suing Energy Transfer in a Netherlands court to recover all fines lost in the North Dakota case.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments