Greenpeace must pay pipeline firm $660M US over protests, jury finds

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 20, 2025 11:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Environmental radical Greenpeace indispensable wage much than $660 cardinal US in damages for defamation and different claims brought by a pipeline institution successful transportation with protests against the Dakota Access lipid pipeline's operation successful North Dakota, a assemblage recovered Wednesday.

Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access had accused Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and backing limb Greenpeace Fund Inc. of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civilian conspiracy and different acts.

Greenpeace USA was recovered liable for each counts, portion the others were recovered liable for some. The damages owed volition beryllium dispersed retired successful antithetic amounts implicit the 3 entities.

Energy Transfer called Wednesday's verdict a "win" for "Americans who recognize the quality betwixt the close to escaped code and breaking the law."

Greenpeace said earlier that a ample grant to the pipeline institution would endanger to bankrupt the organization.

Following the nine-person jury's verdict, Greenpeace's elder ineligible advisor said the group's enactment "is ne'er going to stop."

"That's the truly important connection today, and we're conscionable walking out, and we're going to get unneurotic and fig retired what our adjacent steps are," Deepa Padmanabha told reporters extracurricular the courthouse.

The enactment aboriginal said it plans to entreaty the decision.

"The combat against Big Oil is not implicit today," Greenpeace International wide counsel Kristin Casper said. "We cognize that the instrumentality and the information are connected our side."

Casper said the radical volition spot Energy Transfer successful tribunal successful July successful Amsterdam successful an anti-intimidation suit filed determination past month.

What the allegations were against Greenpeace

The lawsuit reaches backmost to protests successful 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 people has opposed the enactment arsenic a hazard to its h2o supply.

WATCH | Judge allows North Dakota pipeline construction, but authorities seeks voluntary 'pause':

The multi-state pipeline transports astir 5 per cent of the United States's regular lipid production. It started transporting lipid successful mid-2017.

Energy Transfer lawyer Trey Cox had said Greenpeace carried retired a strategy to halt the pipeline's construction. During opening statements, helium alleged Greenpeace paid outsiders to travel into the country and protest, sent blockade supplies, organized oregon led protester training, and made untrue statements astir the task to halt it.

Lawyers for the Greenpeace entities had said determination was nary grounds to the claims, and that Greenpeace employees had small oregon nary engagement successful the protests, adding that the organizations had thing to bash with Energy Transfer's delays successful operation oregon refinancing.

Details of the damages

The damages full astir $666.9 cardinal US ($958 million). The assemblage recovered Greenpeace USA indispensable wage the bulk of the damages, astir $404 cardinal US ($580 million), portion Greenpeace Fund Inc. and Greenpeace International would each wage astir $131 cardinal US ($188 million).

Energy Transfer said successful a connection to The Associated Press: "While we are pleased that Greenpeace has been held accountable for their actions against us, this triumph is truly for the radical of Mandan and passim North Dakota who had to unrecorded done the regular harassment and disruptions caused by the protesters who were funded and trained by Greenpeace."