A North Dakota jury says Greenpeace is liable for hundreds of milions of dollars in damages over the role it played in the disastrous 2016 and 2017 protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
A jury returned the verdict after two days of deliberations and decided in favor of Energy Transfer, the owner and operator of the pipeline that filed the lawsuit against Greenpeace and Red Warrior Camp.
“While we are pleased that Greenpeace will be held accountable for their actions, 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,” said ET in a statement.
Energy Transfer, the Dallas-based company, claimed in its lawsuit that Red Warrior Camp a front for Greenpeace. The suit accused Greenpeace of a misinformation campaign with false claims that the Dakota Access Pipeline would cross the sovereign land of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The suit further said Greenpeace carried out a campaign of “militant direct action” that included trespassing on Energy Transfer property, vandalizing its construction equipment and even assaulting workers and contractors.
Greenpeace denied the claims and contended it only had a minor role in the protests led by indigenous groups. It also claimed the lawsuit was part of Energy Transfer’s attempts to violate the free speech rights of Greenpeace.
