Greenpeace's Costly Reckoning: Dakota Pipeline Verdict

A Texas pipeline company secured a $667 million judgment against Greenpeace for its involvement in protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The jury's decision highlights tensions between environmental advocacy and corporate interests, underlining issues of free speech and the legal risks of protest movements.

Greenpeace has been ordered to pay nearly $667 million in damages to a Texas-based pipeline company for its participation in protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The North Dakota state court jury found Greenpeace's actions disrupted construction unlawfully and spread falsehoods, resulting in damages for defamation, trespassing, and conspiracy.

The verdict arrives after Energy Transfer claimed that Greenpeace financed unlawful protests and exaggerated threats posed by the project, which lies near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Greenpeace plans to appeal the decision, maintaining that it engaged in peaceful protest as part of its advocacy efforts.

The pipeline project, completed in 2017, faced significant pushback from environmental and tribal groups concerned about water contamination and climate impact. The ruling underscores ongoing conflicts between environmental activism and energy infrastructure development.

(With inputs from agencies.)