Greenpeace ordered to pay $650 million in damages for oil pipeline in US

Mandan (North Dakota, USA), 20 Mar (LaPresse/AP) – Greenpeace will have to pay more than $650 million in damages for defamation and other charges brought by an oil company in connection with protests against the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota. This was decided by a jury. Dallas-based Energy Transfer and its subsidiary Dakota Access had accused Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and its financial arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. of defamation, trespassing, nuisance, civil conspiracy and other unlawful acts. Greenpeace USA was found liable for all charges, while the other entities were found guilty of only some. The damages to be paid will be divided in different amounts between the three entities. Greenpeace had already stated that a conviction for such a large sum could drive the organisation into bankruptcy.After the nine-member jury's verdict, Greenpeace's legal counsel Deepa Padmanabha said that the group's work ‘will never stop’. ‘This is the most important message today, and now we are going out from here to come together and decide what our next steps will be,’ Padmanabha told reporters outside the court. The organisation then announced that it intends to appeal the decision. ‘The fight against big oil companies does not end today,’ said Kristin Casper, general counsel of Greenpeace International. ‘We know that the law and the truth are on our side,’ she explained, adding that the group will face Energy Transfer in court in July in Amsterdam in an intimidation lawsuit filed last month. The total amount of damages amounts to almost USD 666.9 million. The jury found that Greenpeace USA will have to pay the largest portion, nearly $404 million, while Greenpeace Fund Inc. and Greenpeace International will each have to pay about $131 million.