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Los Angeles Times
20-03-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Greenpeace must pay over $660 million in case over Dakota Access Pipeline protests, jury finds
MANDAN, N.D. — Environmental group Greenpeace must pay more than $660 million in damages for defamation and other claims brought by a pipeline company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline's construction in North Dakota, a jury found Wednesday. Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access had accused Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. 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. Greenpeace said earlier that a large award to the pipeline company would threaten to bankrupt the organization. Following the nine-person jury's verdict, Greenpeace's senior legal advisor 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 told reporters outside the courthouse. The organization later said it plans to appeal the decision. 'The fight against Big Oil is not over today,' Greenpeace International General Counsel Kristin Casper said. 'We know that the law and the truth are on our side.' She said the group will see Energy Transfer in court in July in Amsterdam in an anti-intimidation lawsuit filed there last month. The damages total nearly $666.9 million. The jury found Greenpeace USA must pay the bulk of the damages, nearly $404 million, while Greenpeace Fund Inc. and Greenpeace International would each pay roughly $131 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 to the Associated Press. The company previously said the state court lawsuit was about Greenpeace not following the law, not free speech. In a statement, Energy Transfer attorney Trey Cox said, '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.' 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 as a risk to its water supply. The multistate pipeline transports about 5% of the United States' daily oil production. It started transporting oil in mid-2017. Cox had 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, organized or led protester trainings, and made untrue statements about the project to stop it. Attorneys for the Greenpeace entities had said there was no evidence to the claims, that Greenpeace employees had little or no involvement in the protests and that the organizations had nothing to do with Energy Transfer's delays in construction or refinancing. Dura writes for the Associated Press.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Greenpeace must pay pipeline firm $660M US over protests, jury finds
Environmental group Greenpeace must pay more than $660 million US in damages for defamation and other claims brought by a pipeline company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline's construction in North Dakota, a jury found Wednesday. Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access had accused Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. 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. Energy Transfer called Wednesday's verdict a "win" for "Americans who understand the difference between the right to free speech and breaking the law." Greenpeace said earlier that a large award to the pipeline company would threaten to bankrupt the organization. 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 told reporters outside the courthouse. Greenpeace representatives talk with reporters outside the Morton County Courthouse in Mandan, N.D., on Wednesday. From left: Greenpeace USA interim executive director Sushma Raman; Greenpeace USA senior legal adviser Deepa Padmanabha; Greenpeace International general counsel Kristin Casper; Greenpeace USA lawyer Everett Jack Jr.; Greenpeace Fund Inc. lawyer Matt Kelly; and Greenpeace USA associate general counsel Jay Meisel. (Jack Dura/The Associated Press) The organization later said it plans to appeal the decision. "The fight against Big Oil is not over today," Greenpeace International general counsel Kristin Casper said. "We know that the law and the truth are on our side." Casper said the group will see Energy Transfer in court in July in Amsterdam in an anti-intimidation lawsuit filed there last month. What the allegations were against Greenpeace 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 as a risk to its water supply. WATCH | Judge allows North Dakota pipeline construction, but government seeks voluntary 'pause': Judge allows North Dakota pipeline construction, but government seeks voluntary 'pause' Duration 1:37 The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's attempt to halt construction of an oil pipeline near its North Dakota reservation failed in federal court Friday, but three U.S. government agencies asked the pipeline company to "voluntarily pause" work on a segment that tribal officials say holds sacred artifacts. The multi-state pipeline transports about five per cent of the United States's daily oil production. It started transporting oil in mid-2017. Energy Transfer lawyer Trey Cox had 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, organized or led protester training, and made untrue statements about the project to stop it. Lawyers for the Greenpeace entities had said there was no evidence to the claims, and that Greenpeace employees had little or no involvement in the protests, adding that the organizations had nothing to do with Energy Transfer's delays in construction or refinancing. Details of the damages The damages total nearly $666.9 million US ($958 million). The jury found Greenpeace USA must pay the bulk of the damages, nearly $404 million US ($580 million), while Greenpeace Fund Inc. and Greenpeace International would each pay roughly $131 million US ($188 million). Protesters demonstrate against the expansion of the Dakota Access pipeline near Cannon Ball, N.D., in this file photo from Nov. 2, 2016. (John L. Mone/The Associated Press) Energy Transfer said in a statement to The Associated Press: "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."
Euronews
20-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Greenpeace must pay nearly €613m over US pipeline protests, jury says
Environmental group Greenpeace must pay more than $660 million (€606 million) in damages for defamation and other claims brought by a pipeline company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline's construction in North Dakota, a jury found on Wednesday (19 March). Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access had accused Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. 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, which total nearly $666.9 million (€613 million), will be spread out across the three entities. The jury found Greenpeace USA must pay the bulk of the damages, nearly $404 million (€371 million), while Greenpeace Fund Inc. and Greenpeace International would each pay roughly $131 million(€120 million). Greenpeace said earlier that a large award to the pipeline company would threaten to bankrupt the organisation. 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 told reporters outside the courthouse. The organisation later said it plans to appeal the decision. 'The fight against Big Oil is not over today," Greenpeace International General Counsel Kristin Casper said. "We know that the law and the truth are on our side.' She said the group will see Energy Transfer in court in July in Amsterdam in an anti-intimidation lawsuit filed there last month. 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 to The Associated Press. The company previously said the state court lawsuit was about Greenpeace not following the law, not free speech. In a statement, Energy Transfer attorney Trey Cox said, '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.' 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 as a risk to its water supply. The multistate pipeline transports about 5 per cent of the United States' daily oil production. It started transporting oil in mid-2017. Cox had 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 training, and made untrue statements about the project to stop it. Attorneys for the Greenpeace entities had said there was no evidence to the claims, 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. Climate change is impacting adolescent well-being in areas most affected by global warming, according to a new study undertaken in Madagascar. Young people in rural areas of the country reported severe anxiety and depression related to fears about climate change. The authors of the research, published in the Journal of Climate Change and Health, have called for mental health support to be built into climate adaptation efforts to help young people facing an uncertain future. "Adolescents in Androy, southern Madagascar, speak of famine, fear, and futures stolen by drought and sandstorms,' says co-author Dr Nambinina Rasolomalala from the Catholic University of Madagascar. 'With crops failing and water scarce, many adolescents are forced to leave their communities to survive, while those who stay face hunger, lost education, and deep despair." The threats to child and adolescent health posed by climate change are well-documented, the authors say. But there is limited research into its effects on mental health in the low- and middle-income countries that are most affected by the climate crisis. The study, conducted by researchers at Trinity College Dublin, UCL, Queen Mary University of London, the Catholic University of Madagascar, and CBM Global, reveals that climate change is having a severe impact on adolescent mental health in southern Madagascar. The study gathered survey data from 83 adolescents, alongside data from focus groups undertaken with 48 of those same adolescents, across six rural villages in March 2024. Young people in the region report extremely high levels of anxiety, depression, and climate change worry, with many describing a sense of hopelessness about the future. Participants described feeling powerless, with one adolescent saying, 'I have no idea what I can do to be happy' and another saying, 'Life is a misery'. 'Young people in southern Madagascar are the unwilling pioneers of the impact of climate change,' says lead author Dr Kristin Hadfield from Trinity College Dublin. 'They can provide important insights into the way climate changes impact on adolescent mental health.' Hadfield adds that the research makes it clear how climate change is not just an environmental issue but a mental health issue as well. 'We found that chronic climate stressors - not just extreme weather events - are already shaping adolescent mental health,' she says. 'In higher-income countries, climate anxiety often focuses on future risks, but in Madagascar, young people are already living the reality.' The study found that climate change affected adolescent mental health through three main pathways: loss of household resources, uncertainty about the future, and disruption of coping mechanisms. Food insecurity is particularly severe - 90 per cent of households had run out of food in the past year, and 69 per cent of adolescents had gone an entire day without eating. Many of those who responded to the survey expressed deep distress over their families' struggles, and most had witnessed people in their communities starve to death. As one adolescent put it, "So many died […] there were many elders, but they died because of the malnutrition". Another said, "There is no water and when sunlight is burning, we are suffering". Co-author Professor Isabelle Mareschal, from Queen Mary University of London, says the findings underline the importance of recognising the need to prepare for the psychological effects of climate, not just environmental. 'We hope that these findings can help inform interventions to improve mental health outcomes, with a focus on young people in low- and middle-income countries.' The study was conducted in southern Madagascar's Grand Sud region, which is one of the areas most severely affected by climate change. In 2021 the region experienced what some consider to be the first climate change-induced famine in the world.
Al Jazeera
20-03-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Greenpeace must pay $660m to oil company over pipeline protests, jury says
A jury in the United States has ordered Greenpeace to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages in a defamation lawsuit brought by oil pipeline operator Energy Transfer, raising serious free speech concerns. The environmental advocacy group has said it will appeal Wednesday's verdict, which came almost a decade after activists joined a protest led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against the Dakota Access Pipeline, in one of the largest anti-fossil fuel protests in US history. The jury in North Dakota awarded more than $660m in damages across three Greenpeace entities, citing charges including trespass, nuisance, conspiracy and deprivation of property access. Energy Transfer, a Texas-based company worth $64bn, celebrated the verdict and has denied attempting to stifle speech. 'We would like to thank the judge and the jury for the incredible amount of time and effort they dedicated to this trial,' the company said in a statement. '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.' The nine-person jury in Mandan, North Dakota, deliberated for two days, in the trial which began in late February, before finding in favour of Energy Transfer on most counts. However, a group of lawyers who monitored the case, calling themselves the Trial Monitoring Committee, said many of the jurors had ties to the fossil fuel industry. 'Most jurors in the case have ties to the oil and gas industry and some openly admitted they could not be impartial, although the judge seated them anyway,' the committee said in a statement, following jury selection. Greenpeace plans to appeal the verdict. Greenpeace International is also countersuing Energy Transfer in the Netherlands, accusing the company of using nuisance lawsuits to suppress dissent. A hearing in that case is set for July 2. 'The fight against Big Oil is not over today,' said Greenpeace International General Counsel Kristin Casper. 'We know that the law and the truth are on our side.' The 'water protectors' of Standing Rock Energy Transfer's case against Greenpeace dates back to protests in North Dakota almost 10 years ago. In April 2016, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe set up a protest camp along the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline route to stop construction, calling themselves 'water protectors'. The camp continued for more than a year, drawing support at first from other Indigenous people around the country and later from other activists, including environmental organisations like Greenpeace, and even hundreds of US Army veterans. Even as wintry conditions set in and hundreds of police patrolled the protests with waves of violent arrests which also targeted journalists, the Sioux and their supporters remained in place. According to Energy Transfer's lead lawyer Trey Cox's closing arguments, Greenpeace's role involved 'exploiting' the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to advance its anti-fossil fuel agenda, according to the North Dakota Monitor. But Greenpeace maintains that it played only a small and peaceful role in the movement, which, it says, was led by Native Americans. As one Lakota organiser, Nick Tilsen, testified during the trial, the idea that Greenpeace organised the protests is 'paternalistic', according to the Lakota Times. Despite the protests, the pipeline, designed to transport fracked crude oil to refineries and on to global markets, became operational in 2017. Energy Transfer, however, continued its legal pursuit of Greenpeace, initially seeking $300m in damages through a federal lawsuit, which was dismissed. It then shifted its legal strategy to North Dakota's state courts, one of the minority of US states without protections against so-called 'Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation' (SLAPP). 'Drill, baby drill' Wednesday's verdict is another win for the fossil fuel industry, as President Donald Trump promises to open up the US to fossil fuel expansion, with his campaign slogan of 'drill, baby drill', including by eliminating air and water protections. Throughout the years-long legal fight, Energy Transfer's billionaire CEO Kelcy Warren, a major Trump donor, was often candid about his motivations. His 'primary objective' in suing Greenpeace, he said in interviews, was not just financial compensation but to 'send a message'. Warren went so far as to say that activists 'should be removed from the gene pool'. Critics call the case a textbook SLAPP, designed to silence dissent and drain financial resources. It comes as the Trump administration is also seeking to instate a wider crackdown on freedom of expression across the country. In a post on Bluesky responding to Wednesday's verdict, author and journalist Naomi Klein noted that 'attacks on protest and freedoms' affecting different movements including 'climate, Palestine, labor, migrant, trans and reproductive rights' should be seen as related. 'Fossil fuel companies should be forced to pay the public trillions in damages for the costs of planetary arson,' Klein added. Meanwhile, climate change is already contributing to increasingly severe and frequent disasters in the US and around the world, including recent fires in California, and an unprecedented inland hurricane in North Carolina. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed a new lawsuit last October against the US Army Corps of Engineers, which has jurisdiction over a section of the pipeline upstream from the Standing Rock Reservation, arguing that the pipeline is operating illegally and must be shut down, according to the North Dakota Monitor.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jury finds Greenpeace at fault for protest damages, awards pipeline developer more than $660 million
Kristin Casper, center, general counsel for Greenpeace International, and other representatives for Greenpeace speak to the media March 19, 2025, outside the Morton County Courthouse in North Dakota. (Amy Dalrymple/North Dakota Monitor) MANDAN, N.D. — A Morton County jury on Wednesday ordered Greenpeace to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline, finding that the environmental group incited illegal behavior by anti-pipeline protesters and defamed the company. The nine-person jury delivered a verdict in favor of Energy Transfer on most counts, awarding more than $660 million in damages to Energy Transfer and Dakota Access LLC. The case centers on Greenpeace's involvement in protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016 and 2017. The demonstrations were started by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which views the project as a pollution threat and imposition onto Native land. Thousands of protesters camped for months north of the Standing Rock Reservation, near where the pipeline crosses underneath the Missouri River in Morton County. Energy Transfer filed the colossal lawsuit in 2019, accusing Greenpeace of providing resources, including supplies, intel and training, to encourage Dakota Access Pipeline protesters to commit criminal acts to stop construction of the project. The company also claims that Greenpeace intentionally spread misinformation about the pipeline to tarnish its reputation with banks. 'These are the facts, not the fake news of the Greenpeace propaganda machine,' Trey Cox, the lead attorney representing Energy Transfer, said in a press conference outside the Morton County Courthouse after the verdict. Energy Transfer representatives believe protesting is an 'inherent American right' but that Greenpeace's actions were 'unacceptable,' Cox continued. The company sued three Greenpeace entities — Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Fund. The jury found Greenpeace USA liable for almost all claims. The jury did not find Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Fund responsible for the alleged on-the-ground harms committed by protesters, but did find those entities liable for defamation, conspiracy and interfering with Energy Transfer's business. Attorneys representing Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Fund told the jury that they never had any employees visit the demonstration camps or provide money to support the protests. Both the plaintiffs and the defense have called the case one of the largest and most complex civil suits in state history. Greenpeace USA, which the jury ordered to pay more than $400 million of the damages, has previously said the lawsuit threatened to bankrupt the organization. When asked whether that was still the case Wednesday afternoon, Greenpeace Senior Legal Adviser Deepa Padmanabha said 'the work of Greenpeace is never gonna stop.' Greenpeace didn't say immediately whether the organization would appeal the decision. 'We have not had a chance to even circle up as a group yet, but the fight is not over,' Padmanabha said. During closing arguments on Monday, Cox told jurors that Greenpeace's actions caused between $265 million and $340 million in damages to the company. He asked the jury to award Energy Transfer that amount plus additional punitive damages. The verdict brought to a close a more than three-week trial in Mandan. The jury began deliberating Monday afternoon after hearing testimony from dozens of witnesses, including current and former Greenpeace employees, Indigenous activists, Energy Transfer representatives and law enforcement. Among the witnesses was former Greenpeace executive director Annie Leonard and Energy Transfer Executive Chairman Kelcy Warren, who appeared by video deposition. Greenpeace denies the allegations and says the lawsuit is a ploy to punish activist groups. Some observers of the trial who participated in the anti-pipeline demonstration expressed anger after the verdict was announced Wednesday. 'Standing Rock was not heard,' Waniya Locke, a Standing Rock citizen who attended much of the trial, said. She said that she will continue opposing the pipeline. Kandi White, a member of the Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara Nation who also observed the trial, said she is 'ashamed' of the decision. She said she found the implication that Greenpeace orchestrated the Dakota Access Pipeline protests insulting to Standing Rock and the other Native nations that were at the center of the movement. 'An appeal should be easy for any court,' White said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Greenpeace maintains that the protests were Indigenous-led and that it only provided support to demonstrators because it was asked. Some witnesses, Native organizers and law enforcement who attended the protests also testified that Greenpeace was not seen as a leader at the camps. Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chair Janet Alkire in a statement earlier this month called the lawsuit 'frivolous.' Alkire did not testify in the case. Free speech and environmental advocates have also spoken out against the trial, arguing that the suit should have been dismissed outright and that the Morton County jury would not be able to render a fair verdict. 'It is our collective assessment that the jury verdict against Greenpeace in North Dakota reflects a deeply flawed trial with multiple due process violations that denied Greenpeace the ability to present anything close to a full defense,' a group of attorneys that monitored the proceedings said in a joint statement Wednesday afternoon. Greenpeace more than once petitioned to move the case to a different North Dakota court, but was denied. U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., applauded the verdict Wednesday. 'Today, justice has been done with Greenpeace and its radical environmentalist buddies who encouraged this destructive behavior during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests with their defamatory and false claims about the pipeline,' Cramer said in a statement. 'They can think twice now about doing it again.' Greenpeace recently filed suit against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands, asking a court to find that the company's legal challenge in Morton County violated the environmental group's rights and to award it damages. That case is believed to be the first lawsuit filed under a new European Union directive intended to shield organizations against free speech attacks. Other major lawsuits involving the Dakota Access Pipeline protests are ongoing. North Dakota in 2019 sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for $38 million, alleging that the federal agency mishandled its response to the demonstrations. The Army Crops has jurisdiction over the portion of the pipeline that passes underneath Lake Oahe, and owns the land that became site of the largest protest camp during the demonstrations. A judge has yet to rule on the case. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in October filed a separate case against the Army Corps for allowing the pipeline to continue operating without an easement. The tribe is asking a federal judge to shut the pipeline down. This story was last updated at 5:10 p.m. Central time. This story was originally published by the North Dakota Monitor. Like South Dakota Searchlight, it's part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. North Dakota Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Amy Dalrymple for questions: info@
