MANDAN, N.D. (AP) 鈥� Environmental group Greenpeace must pay more than $660 million in damages for brought by a pipeline company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline鈥檚 construction in North Dakota, a jury found Wednesday.
Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access 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 Following the nine-person jury鈥檚 verdict, Greenpeace鈥檚 senior legal adviser said the group鈥檚 work 鈥渋s never going to stop.鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the really important message today, and we鈥檙e just walking out and we鈥檙e going to get together and figure out what our next steps are,鈥� Deepa Padmanabha told reporters outside the courthouse.
The organization later said it plans to appeal the decision.
鈥淭he 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.鈥�
She said the group will see Energy Transfer in court in July in Amsterdam in an 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 鈥渨in鈥� for 鈥淎mericans who understand the difference between the right to free speech and breaking the law.鈥�
鈥淲hile 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,鈥� 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, 鈥淭his verdict clearly conveys that when this right to peacefully protest is abused in a lawless and exploitative manner, such actions will be held accountable.鈥�
reaches back to protests in 2016 and 2017 against the and its upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe鈥檚 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鈥� daily oil production. It in mid-2017.
Cox had said Greenpeace carried out a scheme to stop the pipeline鈥檚 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 and that Greenpeace employees had little or no involvement in the protests and the organizations had nothing to do with Energy Transfer鈥檚 delays in construction or refinancing.
Jack Dura, The Associated Press
