Last night, Greenpeace filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Energy Transfer in the State District Court located in Morton County, North Dakota. This is the second lawsuit filed by the company seeking civil damages against Greenpeace for speaking out in support of the movement led by Indigenous people to protect their lands and water from the threats posed by the Dakota Access Pipeline. On February 14, 2019, a North Dakota federal court dismissed the racketeering (RICO) claims in the first lawsuit and declined to take jurisdiction over the remaining claims.
Greenpeace USA General Counsel Tom Wetterer issued the following statement about last night’s court filings:
“Although we are now in state court, Energy Transfer simply repackaged its legal theories that failed in federal court and, as argued in the motions to dismiss, they should once again be rejected. No matter the court, attempts to intimidate and silence those who engage in protected advocacy work, through baseless legal claims, should not be tolerated.”
Contact:
Valentina Stackl, Senior Communications Specialist, Greenpeace USA: +1 (734) 276 6260 [email protected]
