A North Dakota judge has almost halved the $660 million judgment against Greenpeace in the DAPL lawsuit, after finding that some of the jury’s damages were duplicative, had no legal basis, or exceeded statutory caps on punitive damages, according to extensive reporting by Mary Steurer from the North Dakota Monitor. The revised amount sits at around $345 million.
A jury had found the environmental group was at fault for damaging and defaming Energy Transfer during protests against the pipeline in 2016-17. Greenpeace was one of a number of activist groups that joined in the fight to stop the DAPL in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
After the trial wrapped up this year, Greenpeace asked Judge James Gion to reduce the award or throw it out, arguing it was unreasonable. On Wednesday, he partially granted the request, eliminating awards for trespassing and property abuse claims, but left intact $149 million in on-the-ground damages and reduced defamation awards from $250 million to $50 million. Greenpeace denies all allegations, calling the lawsuit a ploy to punish opposition to the pipeline, and plans to appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court.
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