Far-Left Group Slapped with $667M Verdict Over Violent Protests [WATCH]

Greenpeace USA and two affiliated entities have been found liable in a high-profile civil lawsuit stemming from their involvement in the 2016 protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

A North Dakota jury awarded $667 million in damages to pipeline developer Energy Transfer, marking a major legal setback for the environmental group and a potential warning for other nonprofits that support disruptive demonstrations.

The verdict, handed down last week in Mandan, North Dakota, held Greenpeace accountable for civil conspiracy, defamation, trespass, and other related offenses.

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The case centered on the group’s support of large-scale protests that erupted near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation during the construction of the pipeline.

Energy Transfer alleged that Greenpeace was instrumental in fueling violence and chaos during the demonstrations, which included blockades, property destruction, and confrontations with law enforcement.

Greenpeace had attempted to move the trial to another location, arguing that jurors in an oil-producing region would be biased against them.

That motion was denied, and the trial proceeded in Morton County, where many of the original protests had occurred.

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The jury’s decision came after Energy Transfer attorneys presented evidence that Greenpeace contributed significant financial and logistical support to protest organizers.

According to court documents, Greenpeace USA paid approximately $20,000 to send trainers—including a Greenpeace employee—to the site of the protests.

Additionally, the organization’s executive director raised another $90,000 to support the effort.

Internal Greenpeace communications revealed further details. One email estimated the funding “has the potential to provide skills training to 3,000 activists.”

Another employee boasted about performing “some awesome spy shit” while scouting locations near the construction zone for possible blockades.

Greenpeace also supplied equipment, including power tools, propane tanks, tents, cold-weather gear, and a solar-powered van used at the protest camps.

The Dakota Access Pipeline protests began in 2016, when members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe opposed the pipeline’s route near their reservation.

However, what started as a local demonstration quickly escalated. As detailed in a report by Outside Magazine, thousands of mostly non-local activists—many of them white—began arriving in the area.

The situation turned violent, with protesters clashing with police, burning construction equipment, and blocking roads.

Greenpeace has maintained that its involvement was limited and that the protests were led by Indigenous communities.

A jury found Greenpeace liable for hundreds of millions over pipeline protests which caused the business they were protesting a lot of money. @elonmusk should sue the organizers and funders of the groups that are targeting Tesla for the same reason. The groups are Indivisible,… pic.twitter.com/H57WtQ5jNQ

— The Researcher (@listen_2learn) March 20, 2025

But the jury found otherwise, agreeing with Energy Transfer’s claim that Greenpeace’s actions and public messaging helped drive the unrest.

The case is seen as a potential precedent for holding nonprofits liable when they are found to have materially supported illegal activity under the guise of advocacy.

Observers have noted similarities between the DAPL protests and other recent events involving mass mobilization, including Black Lives Matter demonstrations and anti-Israel protests following the October 7 attacks.

In many such events, peaceful gatherings are joined by smaller groups of trained agitators who escalate the situation, often with backing from a network of nonprofit organizations.

According to Tablet Magazine, these hybrid protests are frequently supported “by a vast web of progressive nonprofits, NGOs, foundations, and dark-money groups.”

Energy Transfer’s legal victory could reshape how activist groups operate and how courts evaluate the actions of nonprofits involved in contentious protest movements.

If upheld, the $667 million judgment would pose a serious financial challenge for Greenpeace and could influence how other organizations approach participation in or support for high-intensity protest actions.

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