In a pivotal ruling, a jury decides against Greenpeace, potentially threatening the environmental group's future amid ongoing legal battles.
**Greenpeace Ordered to Pay Enormous Damages in Landmark Case**
**Greenpeace Ordered to Pay Enormous Damages in Landmark Case**
A North Dakota jury holds Greenpeace liable for the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, enforcing significant financial repercussions.
In a landmark legal decision, a jury in North Dakota on Wednesday mandated that Greenpeace pay hundreds of millions of dollars to Energy Transfer, the Texas-based company behind the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline. This decision comes nearly a decade after large-scale protests that captured national attention and mobilized activists, particularly from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
The jury’s verdict marks a critical setback for Greenpeace, an organization that asserted its role in the protests was limited and viewed the lawsuit as an orchestrated effort to silence dissenters in the oil industry. The trial, held in Morton County courthouse in Mandan, lasted roughly two days before the jury reached its decision.
Energy Transfer's co-founder and board chairman, Kelcy Warren, a notable supporter of former President Trump, emphasized the necessity of defending his company amid claims that protesters fostered a misleading narrative about its operations. During closing arguments, Warren stated, "We've got to stand up for ourselves," insisting that the jury needed to recognize the alleged damages inflicted on his company due to the protests.
The Dakota Access Pipeline was a focal point of a significant social movement in 2016 and 2017, drawing thousands of demonstrators who set up camp to oppose its construction, citing environmental concerns and the threat to indigenous lands.
The jury’s verdict marks a critical setback for Greenpeace, an organization that asserted its role in the protests was limited and viewed the lawsuit as an orchestrated effort to silence dissenters in the oil industry. The trial, held in Morton County courthouse in Mandan, lasted roughly two days before the jury reached its decision.
Energy Transfer's co-founder and board chairman, Kelcy Warren, a notable supporter of former President Trump, emphasized the necessity of defending his company amid claims that protesters fostered a misleading narrative about its operations. During closing arguments, Warren stated, "We've got to stand up for ourselves," insisting that the jury needed to recognize the alleged damages inflicted on his company due to the protests.
The Dakota Access Pipeline was a focal point of a significant social movement in 2016 and 2017, drawing thousands of demonstrators who set up camp to oppose its construction, citing environmental concerns and the threat to indigenous lands.
