Greenpeace must pay $1 billion in damages, could go bankrupt

Greenpeace must pay more than $USD660 million ($1 billion) in damages for defamation and other claims brought by a company over protests against the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota, a jury has found.

The environmental group said earlier that a large award to Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access would threaten to bankrupt the organisation.

The oil pipeline company accused three different arms of Greenpeace of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy and other acts.

Greenpeace USA was found liable for all counts, while the others were found liable for some.

The damages owed will be spread out in different amounts over the three entities.

Following the nine-person jury’s verdict, Greenpeace’s senior legal adviser said the group’s work “is never going to stop.”

“That’s the really important message today, and we’re just walking out and we’re going to get together and figure out what our next steps are,” Deepa Padmanabha said.

Greenpeace plans to appeal

The organisation later said it planned to appeal the decision.

“The fight against big oil is not over today,” Greenpeace International general counsel Kristin Casper said.

She said the group would see Energy Transfer in court in July in Amsterdam in an anti-intimidation lawsuit filed there last month.

Of the total damages of $USD666.9 million, the jury found Greenpeace USA must pay nearly $USD404 million, while Greenpeace Fund Incorporation and Greenpeace International would each pay roughly $USD131 million.

Energy Transfer called Wednesday’s verdict a “win” for Americans “who understand the difference between the right to free speech and breaking the law”.

“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.

The company previously said the state court lawsuit was about Greenpeace not following the law, not free speech.

“This verdict clearly conveys that when this right to peacefully protest is abused in a lawless and exploitative manner, such actions will be held accountable,” Energy Transfer attorney Trey Cox said, in a statement. 

The case reaches back to protests in 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 tribe has opposed the line claiming a risk to its water supply.

The multistate pipeline transports about 5 per cent of the United States’ daily oil production, and started operating in mid-2017.

Mr Cox earlier said Greenpeace carried out a scheme to stop the pipeline’s construction.

During opening statements, he alleged Greenpeace paid outsiders to come into the area and protest, sent blockade supplies, organised or led protester trainings, and made untrue statements about the project to stop it.

Attorneys for the Greenpeace entities said there was no evidence to the claims and that Greenpeace employees had little or no involvement in the protests and the organisations had nothing to do with Energy Transfer’s delays in construction or refinancing.

AP

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