Overview

• The jury awarded Energy Transfer $660 million in damages, holding Greenpeace USA primarily responsible, with Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Fund Inc. also liable for portions of the sum.
• Greenpeace plans to appeal the verdict, calling it a strategic lawsuit designed to silence free speech and peaceful protest against fossil fuel projects.
• The case stems from protests led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in 2016-2017, with Greenpeace accused of funding and organizing disruptive activities.
• Critics have labeled the lawsuit a SLAPP case, highlighting the lack of anti-SLAPP protections in North Dakota and its potential chilling effect on activism.
• Greenpeace has filed a countersuit in the Netherlands under European anti-SLAPP laws, with a hearing scheduled for July 2025.