A jury in North Dakota has ruled that Greenpeace is required to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to Energy Transfer, a Dallas-based oil and gas firm, due to protests at the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016 and 2017. The nine-member jury largely sided with Energy Transfer on several allegations, including defamation and orchestrating criminal activities among the protesters.

Energy Transfer had filed a $300 million lawsuit against Greenpeace, claiming the organization 'incited' protests through a 'misinformation campaign.'

Greenpeace denied these allegations, asserting that lawsuits of this nature aimed to 'undermine the right to peaceful protest.'

The case has garnered significant attention from the broader non-profit sector and First Amendment specialists due to concerns regarding its implications for activism.

During the trial, Energy Transfer sought to link various wrongdoings or disruptions stemming from the protests to Greenpeace, which contended that its role was minimal and initiated at the request of the Standing Rock tribe.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe issued a statement asserting their leadership of the protests and noting ongoing difficulties in obtaining safety information from Energy Transfer.

Kelcy Warren, the billionaire founder of the pipeline company, stated in a video deposition that his company had proposed financial incentives to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to halt the protests, an offer the tribe declined.

Following the verdict, the trial monitoring committee expressed that the proceedings were 'deeply flawed' and prevented Greenpeace from mounting a comprehensive defense.

The committee, which observed the trial in its entirety, concluded that the jury exhibited bias favoring Energy Transfer and that the judge lacked adequate legal expertise regarding the complex issues involved.