A jury on Wednesday ruled that Greenpeace must pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to Energy Transfer for inciting protests against the company’s pipeline project that degenerated into acts of vandalism.
The jury found Greenpeace liable for defamation and other claims filed by Energy Transfer, which accused Greenpeace of instigating the Standing Rock Sioux protests in 2016 against the Dakota Access pipeline in the northern United States, protests that delayed the project and raised costs.
Energy Transfer, based in Dallas, Texas, sought 300 million dollars, about 287 million euros, a sum Greenpeace has said would threaten its existence.
In its lawsuit, Energy Transfer named Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Inc and Greenpeace Fund.
Greenpeace had denied the accusations, arguing that it simply supported the protests and bore no responsibility for how they developed.
The nine-person jury reached its decision after two days of deliberations in a North Dakota court and a trial that lasted nearly a month.
The case has been described as an example of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, SLAPP, a civil litigation tactic increasingly used by corporations, politicians and other powerful groups against activists, opponents or journalists.
During the protests, which spanned 2016 and 2017, thousands camped for months arguing that the pipeline was built on sacred lands and could threaten water supplies.
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According to The New York Times, Energy Transfer cofounder and board chair Kelcy Warren, a major donor in the last presidential campaign of Donald Trump, said in a video shown during closing arguments that the protesters had created ‘a totally false narrative’.
One of the companys lawyers, Trey Cox, argued during the trial that Greenpeace took a small local dispute and exploited it to shut down the pipeline and promote its own agenda, according to the New York Times.
Following the verdict, Greenpeace International’s general counsel Kristin Casper said in a statement that the fight against oil companies is not over.
She added that the anti-SLAPP effort against Energy Transfer will continue, including proceedings in Amsterdam in July. The message was clear that Greenpeace will not back down or be silenced.
Meanwhile Energy Transfer said in a statement that this is a victory for residents of North Dakota who endured daily harassment from the protesters funded and trained by Greenpeace, as well as a win for Americans who respect the law.