Mandan, North Dakota — Greenpeace International met Energy Transfer in a hearing in North Dakota District Court to address the fossil fuel pipeline company’s request to Judge James D. Gion for an anti-suit injunction protecting it from accountability under Dutch and European Union law for the back-to-back SLAPP lawsuits filed in the US against Netherlands-based Greenpeace International.[1][2]

Energy Transfer’s request for the first ever anti-suit injunction issued by a North Dakota state court seeks to violate the principles of international comity and, if granted, would undermine the ability of the EU’s anti-SLAPP directive to protect EU citizens from attacks on their free speech coming from the US.

Daniel Simons, Senior Legal Counsel Strategic Defense, Greenpeace International said: ”Energy Transfer’s aggressive attempt to stop Greenpeace International from pursuing justice and restitution under Dutch and EU law is very much in character. After filing back-to-back abusive lawsuits in the US, Energy Transfer clearly fears a jurisdiction that has protections against abusive SLAPP lawsuits. 

“Energy Transfer is attempting to pressure the North Dakota court into an unprecedented order to stop Greenpeace International from pursuing the proceedings in the Netherlands. These panicked moves show the power of the EU’s new anti-SLAPP directive is being felt. This legislation is intended to protect those who speak out for the public good from exactly the types of bullying tactics that Energy Transfer has been waging in the US.”

Greenpeace International filed a lawsuit against Energy Transfer in Amsterdam in February 2025 under the European Union’s law to protect freedom of expression.[3] Energy Transfer requested relief from the same North Dakota District Court that is still deciding on a final judgment in its pending intimidation lawsuit against Greenpeace International and Greenpeace entities in the US. Judge Gion has not yet delivered a final judgment in that case.[4]

Energy Transfer’s SLAPPs are part of a wave of abusive lawsuits filed by Big Oil companies like Shell, Total, and ENI against Greenpeace entities in recent years. This includes Greenpeace France successfully defeating TotalEnergies’ SLAPP on 28 March 2024, and Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International forcing Shell to back down from its SLAPP on 10 December 2024.

ENDS

Photos and videos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library. 

Notes:

[1] Notice of Plaintiffs’ Emergency Motion for Anti-Suit Injunction

[2] ET’s first lawsuit was filed in federal court under the RICO Act – the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a US federal statute designed to prosecute mob activity. The case was dismissed, with the judge stating the evidence fell “far short” of what was needed to establish a RICO enterprise. The federal court did not decide on the state law so Energy Transfer promptly filed a new case in a North Dakota state court with these and other state law claims. In the North Dakota state case, a Morton County jury found Greenpeace defendants liable for a perverse amount of damages, more than US$660 million, despite the lack of evidence presented during the trial.

[3] Greenpeace International sent a Notice of Liability to Energy Transfer on 23 July 2024, informing the pipeline giant of Greenpeace International’s intention to bring an anti-SLAPP lawsuit against the company in a Dutch Court. After Energy Transfer declined to accept liability on multiple occasions (September 2024, December 2024), Greenpeace International initiated the first test of the European Union’s anti-SLAPP Directive on 11 February 2025 by filing a lawsuit in Dutch court against Energy Transfer. The case was officially registered in the docket of the Court of Amsterdam on 2 July 2025. Greenpeace International seeks to recover all damages and costs it has suffered as a result of Energy Transfers’s back-to-back, abusive lawsuits demanding hundreds of millions of dollars from Greenpeace International and the Greenpeace organisations in the US. 

[4] Still no evidence and still no final judgment in Energy Transfer lawsuit

Contacts:

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org

Join the Greenpeace SLAPP Trial WhatsApp Group for our latest updates

New York, US – Activists, scientists and Indigenous community members alongside Greenpeace called on governments to agree on the process for the first protected areas under the Global Ocean Treaty as the BBNJ Preparatory Commission talks resume at the United Nations Headquarters in New York this week.

Following a flurry of national ratifications at the UN Ocean Conference in June, the landmark Treaty is expected to clear the required number for a highly anticipated entry into force in the coming months, vital to protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. 

Professor Babajide Alo, from Nigeria, Scientific Advisor and Lead AGN Negotiator for the BBNJ said: “The science is clear: Sanctuaries play a critical role in preserving biodiversity and sustaining food security for the billions who depend on ocean resources. Africa has vast marine and coastal ecosystems, including critical areas like the Gulf of Guinea, Red Sea, Western Indian Ocean, and Southern Atlantic. Empowered local scientists are the foundation for resilient, equitable, and evidence-based ocean sanctuaries. One of the core parts of the BBNJ Treaty is capacity building for developing countries. The Treaty must be a tool to meaningfully engage with and strengthen the scientific and technical skills of African researchers. This will reduce dependency on external experts and promote local ownership of the new ocean sanctuaries.”

Professor Alo joined an event held by Greenpeace UK at the second BBNJ Preparatory Commission talks that convened panelists from Bermuda, Nigeria and Canada, who demand recognition and empowerment of local and Indigenous rights, allowing for co-governance rooted in both scientific and traditional knowledge. This grounded, inclusive approach will ensure these Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are both ecologically robust and socially just.

Noelle Young, Sustainability Solutionist and Environmental Justice Delegate from Bermuda, who spoke at the event said:  “The Sargasso Sea must become one of the first high seas marine protected areas under the High Seas Treaty.  It is one of the most studied, storied, and data rich regions of the global ocean – a borderless sea, alive with the migratory journeys of countless species. Bermuda is the only nation physically bound to the Sargasso.  All that we are is deeply tied to the health of this unique oceanic system; from our food security and fresh water access to human health and economic fragility. Bermuda – alongside other subnational island jurisdictions – must be granted permissions to help steer this Treaty toward true environmental justice.  Like many currents joining one sea, the voices of fishers, shipping companies, local and indigenous communities, governments and NGOs must flow together in guiding our future.”

Megan Randles, Head of Delegation, Greenpeace UK said: “For years, the key sticking points of the Treaty have been left waiting in the wings. During these talks, Governments have the chance to resolve these tough questions and avoid the Treaty only being able to deliver paper parks – areas protected on paper but with no tangible management measures to stop destructive human activities. Instead, the Treaty must revolutionise global ocean governance by closing vast areas of ocean to extractive and destructive human activities, and protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.”

ENDS 

Photos of the event are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Contact:

Florri Burton, Global Media Lead, Oceans Are Life, Greenpeace Nordic, +447896523839, florri.burton@greenpeace.org 

Greenpeace International Press Desk: +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org