Major Climate Change Organization Forced To Pay $660 Million Judgement In Defamation Suit
The climate change alarmist group Greenpeace has been ordered by a North Dakota jury to pay more than $660 million in damages in connection with protests against the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.
Dallas-based firm Energy Transfer and its subsidiary company, Dakota Access, accused the Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA, and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. Plaintiffs accused the environmental group of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy and other nefarious activity.
After two days of deliberations, a nine-member jury in Mandan, North Dakota on Wednesday awarded a $660 million judgement against the defendants. Greenpeace USA was found liable on all counts, while the others were found liable for a portion of the allegations. Damages awarded by the jury will be allocated in three separate increments across all three entities.
The jury found Greenpeace guilty of defaming Energy Transfer and Dakota Access, as well as inciting illegal activities during protests against the pipeline’s contraction in 2016 and 2017.
Energy Transfer completed work on the sprawling, 1,172-mile oil pipeline in June 2017 after $3.8 billion in total costs. The pipeline runs from North Dakota to Illinois and crosses beneath the Missouri River in Morton County outside the Standing Rock Reservation.
Greenpeace organized and participated in protests against the construction after tribal leaders raised concerns about potential pollution in the Missouri River, the main water source for the Sioux Tribe. The tribe also contended that the pipeline encroaches on tribal lands.
In 2019, attorneys representing Energy Transfer filed a lawsuit accusing Greenpeace of providing anti-pipeline protesters with supplies, training and intelligence. The lawsuit further accused Greenpeace of encouraging demonstrators to commit criminal acts and acts of sabotage.
In addition, Energy Transfer argued that Greenpeace defamed its subsidiary company by spreading false information designed to discourage banks and other investors from funding the project. “These are the facts, not the fake news of the Greenpeace propaganda machine,” Energy Transfer’s lead attorney Trey Cox told reporters following the verdict.
Cox stressed that while Energy Transfer supports the right to peaceful protest, Greenpeace crossed the line by supporting criminal acts and defaming the company “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.
“It is also a win for all law-abiding Americans who understand the difference between the right to free speech and breaking the law. That the disrupters have been held responsible is a win for all of us.”
Greenpeace announced that it will be appealing the “meritless” lawsuit to the North Dakota Supreme Court. “What we saw over these three weeks was Energy Transfer’s blatant disregard for the voices of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. And while they also tried to distort the truth about Greenpeace’s role in the protests, we instead reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to non-violence in every action we take,” Greenpeace senior legal advisor Deepa Padmanabha said in a statement.
“To be clear, Greenpeace’s story is not the story of Standing Rock. Our story is how an organization like Greenpeace USA can support critical fights to protect communities most impacted by the climate crisis, as well as continued attacks on Indigenous sovereignty.”