This past week, North Dakota Judge James Gion announced that he will sign an order requiring several Greenpeace entities to pay damages to Energy Transfer, the company behind the Dakota Access oil pipeline, for their role in large-scale protests against the pipeline project nearly a decade ago. The order follows a jury verdict entered last year, which found the Greenpeace entities liable for various claims brought by Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access, including conspiracy, trespass, nuisance and tortious interference.
Last year, Judge Gion reduced the jury’s original award of damages from $666.9 million to $345 million. However, the final damages amount was not specified in this latest filing. Nevertheless, Greenpeace has stated it cannot pay the judgment and would be unable to continue normal operations if the judgment is enforced. The order is expected to trigger appeals from both sides to the North Dakota Supreme Court.
For more, read the court's decision here.