Climate activists worry Greenpeace could shut down after jury orders them to pay $667 MILLION over damages to Dakota Access Pipeline

The climate activist group said that the damages payout could end Greenpeace's US affiliate group “Greenpeace USA," per the Washington Post, and it is the largest threat to the international activist group's operations.

Greenpeace USA in 2023 had around $40 million in revenue with only 191 employees. The lawsuit that was brought by Dallas-based Energy Transfer before the jury alleged that Greenpeace USA incited protests against the company’s reputation with false statements and accused them of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy, as well as other civil violations. The energy company claimed damages in the range of $300 million but was awarded even more than that.

The activist organization has maintained that it only played a small part in the 2016 and 2017 protests that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe led and grew to be violent with acts of vandalism. The tribe claimed that the pipeline was a threat to sacred lands as well as their water supply. Greenpeace supported the protests at the time.

Hundreds of environmentalists and some celebrities flocked to the demonstrations in the rural area of North Dakota as well to participate.

The nine-person jury in North Dakota took around two days of deliberations in order to come to their verdict on the case and found Greenpeace Inc. liable for most of the damages.

Deepa Padmanabha, a legal advisor for Greenpeace, said in reaction to the verdict, “We should all be concerned about the attacks on our First Amendment, and lawsuits like this that really threaten our rights to peaceful protest and free speech," the New York Times reported.

Energy Transfer had taken issue with actions that Greenpeace took during the protests, including training people in protest tactics as well as offering funds and supplies to fuel the demonstration. As well, the activist group also dispatched its “rolling sunlight” solar panel truck in order to supply energy and power to environmental activists during the day-long demonstrations.

The environmental group has said that it will appeal the decision.