On 20 March 2025, a North Dakota jury ruled in favour of fossil fuel company Energy Transfer and found Greenpeace liable for defamation and other claims in connection with the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline that took place in 2016 and 2017, led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Greenpeace said it would appeal the decision.

Experts say the USD660 million award raises “serious free speech concerns”. The lawsuit has been widely denounced as a case that bears the hallmarks of a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP), which Energy Transfer denies.

The case started in August 2017, when Energy Transfer (formerly Energy Transfer Partners), the operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in the US, filed a lawsuit against Greenpeace International, Greenpeace entities, other organizations, and individual defendants, accusing them of unlawful and fraudulent speech intended to harm the company and cause it to lose investments in its pipeline. The company sought close to $1 billion in damages under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). On 14 February 2019, a federal court dismissed this lawsuit.

On 21 February 2019, following the dismissal of the first lawsuit, Energy Transfers brought another lawsuit against the Greenpeace entities and others in the North Dakota state court. The complaint included claims related to defamation, conspiracy, and other torts. On 20 March 2025, a North Dakota jury ruled in favor of the company.

In July 2024, Greenpeace International sent a Notice of Liability to Energy Transfer’s headquarters in Dallas, Texas, informing the intention to bring a lawsuit against the company in a Dutch Court to recover all damage and costs it has suffered as a result of the lawsuit in the US based on the European Union anti-SLAPP Directive adopted in April 2024.

In February 2025, Greenpeace filed a complaint against Energy Transfer before a Dutch court against Energy Transfer using the EU anti-SLAPP Directive.