A coalition of civil-rights and free-speech lawyers is calling for a $345 million (about $345 million USD) court judgment against Greenpeace to be thrown out, arguing that the trial was fundamentally unfair.
The verdict stems from a lawsuit brought by Energy Transfer, the pipeline company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, which accused Greenpeace of orchestrating and funding protests against the project years ago. Those demonstrations drew national attention as Indigenous groups and environmental activists camped out in North Dakota to oppose the pipeline’s route near tribal land and water sources.
Now, in new filings, the group of attorneys says the judge overseeing the case showed clear bias toward Energy Transfer and displayed what they bluntly call “general incompetence” in handling the proceedings. Their argument suggests the trial process itself was flawed enough to undermine the legitimacy of the massive damages award.
Greenpeace has warned that a judgment of this size could bankrupt its US operations and has framed the case as a broader threat to free speech and the right to protest, warning that similar lawsuits could be used to silence advocacy groups and environmental organizations in the future.
The case is being closely watched by civil-liberties advocates who worry about its implications for protest rights nationwide. To read the full details of the legal challenge, check out the original report.
Source: $345 Million Verdict Against Greenpeace Should Be Overturned, Lawyers Say (rss.nytimes.com).
Image: exit78, CC0 1.0 (via Openverse).