Mandan, North Dakota — A Morton County jury of 9 reached a verdict in Power Switch’s meritless lawsuit in opposition to Greenpeace entities within the US (Greenpeace Inc, Greenpeace Fund), and Greenpeace Worldwide, discovering the entities accountable for greater than US$660 million, at present. Large Oil Bullies all over the world will proceed to attempt to silence free speech and peaceable protest, however the battle in opposition to Power Switch’s meritless SLAPP lawsuit is just not over.
“We’re witnessing a disastrous return to the reckless behaviour that fuelled the local weather disaster, deepened environmental racism, and put fossil gasoline income over public well being and a habitable planet. The earlier Trump administration spent 4 years dismantling protections for clear air, water, and Indigenous sovereignty, and now together with its allies needs to complete the job by silencing protest. We won’t again down. We won’t be silenced,” mentioned Mads Christensen, Greenpeace Worldwide Govt Director.
“This case ought to alarm everybody, irrespective of their political inclinations,” mentioned Sushma Raman, Interim Govt Director Greenpeace Inc, Greenpeace Fund. “It’s a part of a renewed push by firms to weaponise our courts to silence dissent. We must always all be involved about the way forward for the First Modification, and lawsuits like this aimed toward destroying our rights to peaceable protest and free speech. These rights are vital for any work towards making certain justice – and that’s why we are going to proceed combating again collectively, in solidarity. Whereas Large Oil bullies can attempt to cease a single group, they’ll’t cease a motion.”
Power Switch’s lawsuits are clear-cut examples of SLAPPs — lawsuits making an attempt to bury nonprofits and activists in authorized charges, push them in the direction of chapter and finally silence dissent.[1] Large Oil firms Shell, Whole, and ENI have additionally filed SLAPPs in opposition to Greenpeace entities lately.[2] A few these circumstances have been efficiently stopped of their tracks. This contains Greenpeace France efficiently defeating TotalEnergies’ SLAPP on 28 March 2024, and Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace Worldwide forcing Shell to again down from its SLAPP on 10 December 2024.
“Power Switch hasn’t heard the final of us on this battle. We’re simply getting began with our anti-SLAPP lawsuit in opposition to Power Switch’s assaults on free speech and peaceable protest. We are going to see Power Switch in courtroom this July within the Netherlands. We won’t again down. We won’t be silenced,” mentioned Greenpeace Worldwide Basic Counsel Kristin Casper.
In February 2024, GPI initiated the primary take a look at of the European Union’s anti-SLAPP Directive by submitting a lawsuit in Dutch courtroom in opposition to ET.[3] GPI seeks to get better all damages and prices it has suffered on account of ET’s back-to-back, meritless lawsuits demanding lots of of tens of millions of {dollars} in opposition to GPI and the Greenpeace organisations within the US.
ENDS
Photographs and Movies will be accessed from the Greenpeace Media Library.
Notes:
- ET’s first lawsuit was filed in federal courtroom below the RICO Act – the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a US federal statute designed to prosecute mob exercise. The case was dismissed, with the choose stating the proof fell “far brief” of what was wanted to ascertain a RICO enterprise. The federal courtroom didn’t resolve on the state regulation so ET promptly filed a brand new case in a North Dakota state courtroom with these and different state regulation claims.
- A report by the Coalition Towards SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) documented 1049 SLAPP fits in Europe within the interval 2010-2023, with 166 lawsuits initiated in 2023.
- Greenpeace Worldwide information lawsuit in opposition to Power Switch in first use of EU anti-SLAPP Directive
Contacts:
Greenpeace Worldwide Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (accessible 24 hours), [email protected]
