North Dakota Court Bars Greenpeace From Dutch Claims After $345 Million Pipeline Verdict
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 28
North Dakota Court Bars Greenpeace From Dutch Claims After $345 Million Pipeline Verdict
4 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 28
A North Dakota state court has barred Greenpeace International from making certain claims against Energy Transfer in a Dutch court, extending a U.S. pipeline fight into overseas litigation.
The order followed Energy Transfer’s sweeping North Dakota trial win over three Greenpeace entities tied to Dakota Access Pipeline protests; if that verdict stands, the groups face $345 million in damages.
Legal experts said courts sometimes restrict parallel foreign suits to avoid conflicting judgments, but called this order unusual because the Dutch case was already filed and the North Dakota case had already produced a verdict.
The dispute adds a new cross-border front to a decade-long clash over the Dakota Access Pipeline, with Greenpeace’s U.S. arm warning the damages award could bankrupt it.
Can a US court order halt a European lawsuit, or does this ignite a new global legal battle?
Is a $345 million verdict the new corporate blueprint to bankrupt international activist groups?
$345 Million Judgment Against Greenpeace: North Dakota Supreme Court’s Antisuit Injunction and the Global Battle Over Activist Rights
Overview
In February 2026, a North Dakota state court awarded Energy Transfer a US$345 million judgment against three Greenpeace organizations, holding them liable for damages linked to protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline a decade earlier. Facing possible bankruptcy, Greenpeace’s U.S. arm sought a new trial and planned to appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Greenpeace International had already filed a case in the Netherlands, challenging the U.S. lawsuit as an attempt to silence activism. This cross-border legal fight highlights the growing tension between corporate interests and activist groups, with major implications for free speech and international legal cooperation.