Greenpeace Ordered to Pay Over $660 Million for Defaming Oil Company

A jury says the environmental group defamed Energy Transfer during Dakota Access pipeline protests.

Greenpeace representatives talk with reporters outside the Morton County Courthouse in Mandan, N.D., on March 19, 2025. 9Jack Dura)

A North Dakota jury has ruled that Greenpeace must pay more than $660 million in damages to Dallas-based oil and gas company Energy Transfer, finding the environmental group liable for defamation and other claims related to protests against the Dakota Access pipeline.

The nine-person jury delivered its verdict on March 19 in a lawsuit brought by Energy Transfer Partners, which sought hundreds of millions in damages from Greenpeace. The case stemmed from the 2016–2017 protests against the pipeline’s Missouri River crossing, located upstream of a tribal reservation. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has long opposed the project, citing risks to its water supply and sacred burial grounds.

The lawsuit cited Greenpeace’s claims that Energy Transfer desecrated burial grounds and culturally significant sites during construction, as well as assertions that the pipeline would “catastrophically alter the climate.” Cox countered that the company had made 140 route adjustments to protect sacred sites and said Energy Transfer was committed to being “a good corporate citizen in North Dakota.”

Energy Transfer accused Greenpeace International and Greenpeace USA of acts including defamation, trespass, nuisance, and civil conspiracy. During the trial, which began in late February 2025, the company’s attorney, Trey Cox, argued that Greenpeace funded and organized protesters, provided blockade supplies, conducted training sessions, and spread misinformation to block the pipeline’s construction.

Greenpeace attorneys rejected the allegations, stating there was no evidence linking the organization to the disruptions caused by the protesters. They argued the lawsuit was an attempt to silence activism through financial and legal intimidation.

“Beyond the impact that this lawsuit could have on the Greenpeace entities, one of the most worrisome things about the case is that it could establish dangerous new legal precedents that could hold any participant at protests responsible for the actions of others at those protests,” Deepa Padmanabha, Greenpeace USA senior legal advisor, said in a Feb. 24 statement. “And you can imagine that this would have a serious chilling effect on anybody who wants to engage in protest.”

Greenpeace USA was found liable on all counts, while the other entities were held responsible for some. The damages will be divided among the three groups in varying amounts. The total damages amount to nearly $666.9 million. The jury ruled that Greenpeace USA is responsible for the largest share, nearly $404 million, while Greenpeace Fund Inc. and Greenpeace International must each pay approximately $131 million.

Energy Transfer said the verdict is a victory for North Dakotans affected by the protests.

“While 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,” a spokesperson for Energy Transfer said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.

“It is also a win for all law-abiding Americans who understand the difference between the right to free speech and breaking the law. That the disrupters have been held responsible is a win for all of us.”

Greenpeace has not publicly commented on the ruling and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times. However, allied environmental group EarthRights International in a March 19 statement said that Greenpeace intends to appeal the decision to the North Dakota Supreme Court.

EarthRights also raised concerns about trial irregularities, citing alleged jury ties to the fossil fuel industry, Energy Transfer’s $3 million donation to the trial’s host city, and the denial of Greenpeace’s requests for a venue change.

“These irregularities, which may amount to a violation of Greenpeace’s right to a fair trial, almost certainly factored into the verdict, and may form the basis of an appeal,” EarthRights said in its statement, adding that it “proudly joins Greenpeace USA in speaking up against brazen legal attacks and ensuring that the environmental movement only continues to grow stronger, despite the appalling result in North Dakota.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.