Energy Transfer Partners lawsuit could bankrupt Greenpeace

 

Oil company’s lawsuit could bankrupt Greenpeace

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One of the biggest environmental advocacy networks in the world says it might have to shut down if it loses a lawsuit brought by Energy Transfer Partners, the owner of the Dakota Access Pipeline, that went to trial yesterday. The suit accuses Greenpeace, its grant-making arm, and Greenpeace International of trespassing, defamation, and financial harm over their support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s 2016/2017 nonviolent protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline’s construction. Energy Transfer is seeking $300 million from Greenpeace USA, more than 10x the nonprofit’s annual budget, according to the New York Times. Energy Transfer is worth almost $70 billion. Constitutional rights experts are watching closely: More than 430+ organizations including Amnesty International and the American Federation of Teachers have signed an open letter condemning the lawsuit as an attempt to suppress free speech and peaceful protest. Energy Transfer has denied the anti-free speech allegations, saying the suit is about “them not following the law.” SLAPP in the face: Legal experts told The Guardian and NPR that they agree with Greenpeace that the case amounts to a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, aka litigation that aims to silence a corporation’s critic with expensive court proceedings. North Dakota, where the trial is taking place over the next five weeks, is one of 15 states without anti-SLAPP laws, which can help defendants get cases dismissed and recover legal costs.—ML