Well... In 2016 and 2017, the left vented its shock and fury at Donald Trump's unexpected victory by, among other things, protesting the construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota. The "mainstream" media claimed that Energy Transfer was ramming its Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) through all sorts of sacred Native American lands and that no one wanted it.
In fact, Energy Transfer went out of its way to work with natives and locals, and most were glad of the opportunity and prosperity DAPL would provide. Nonetheless, environmentalist activists co-opted a protest by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, making it into the face of the spurious claims. Professional protestors from near and far got into the act, throwing sand into the project's gears at the construction site, at funding sources, and in the PR sphere. In the end, these actions delayed the project by five months and added approximately $350 million to the cost, Energy Transfer claimed in a lawsuit it launched in 2019.
Energy Transfer named three Greenpeace entities — Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace International (based in the Netherlands), and Greenpeace Fund — as the organizers and funders of this sabotage. And on Wednesday, a North Dakota jury found that the infamous non-profit must pay the price for its actions.
The nine-person and two-alternate jury deliberated for two and a half days before arriving at its unanimous verdict. (PJ Media)
The result was a $300m verdict against Greenpeace according to most news reports and all I can say here is About. Damn. Time.
This was a concerted effort to block an energy project that would've helped make America more and more energy-independent, which would then allow us to better decide when and where to get involved overseas (thus benefiting the America First agenda of the current Trump Administration, never mind that DAPL began under Obama of all people). But its' one thing to peacefully protest, even when said peaceful actions cross into illegality (a good example would be the Freedom Riders of the early 1960's who rode on integrated bus across the South at the height of early 60's Jim Crow. They suffered heavily for it but won in the end after the Feds' ordered the transportation lines fully desegregated).
These protests weren't peaceful; they were violent, reckless and conspiratorial and I don't feel sorry for Greenpeace one bit. I find it darkly amusing that they're worried about their existence (as they should be) and with a $300m or so verdict agst. them, they best hope of avoiding it would seem to be bankruptcy.
Only thing there is...while it would stop assessment and service on said judgment, it would be up to the bankruptcy judge to decide whether, for instance, the bankruptcy is being used to avoid it. Most, as far as I can tell, look dimly on defendants in civil cases using the bankruptcy courts to avoid paying on civil judgments. That said, if Greenpeace went this route and succeeded, they could avoid paying out on it.
Then again, one thing not mentioned in the PJM article is whether this case was tried in federal court or ND state court; that's important because the laws for each are different and if this was in state court....anyone remember what happened to the former Gawker back in the late 2010's?
Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
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