"Greenpeace Must Pay At Least $660M Over Dakota Pipeline Protests, Says Jury"

"Non-profit, which will appeal decision, says lawsuits like this are aimed at ‘destroying the right to peaceful protest’"

"A jury in North Dakota has decided that the environmental group Greenpeace must pay hundreds of millions of dollars to the pipeline company Energy Transfer and is liable for defamation and other claims over protests in the state nearly a decade ago.

Energy Transfer Partners, a Dallas-based oil and gas company worth almost $70bn, had sued Greenpeace, alleging defamation and orchestrating criminal behavior by protesters at the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016 and 2017, claiming the organization “incited” people to protest by using a “misinformation campaign”.

Greenpeace, which had denied the claims, said in a statement after the verdict that lawsuits like this were aimed at “destroying the right to peaceful protest”; constitutional rights experts had expressed fears that the case could have a wider chilling effect on free speech."

Rachel Leingang and Nina Lakhani report for the Guardian March 19, 2025.

SEE ALSO:

"Jury finds Greenpeace At Fault For Protest Damages, Awards Pipeline Developer More Than $660 Million" (North Dakota Monitor)

"Jury Orders Greenpeace to Pay Pipeline Company More Than $660 Million" (New York Times)