Dutch court agrees to hear Greenpeace lawsuit against US energy company

AMSTERDAM — Judges in Amsterdam handed Greenpeace a preliminary victory on Wednesday in an anti-intimidation court case, rejecting a request from fossil fuel pipeline company Energy Transfer to toss the complaint out.

The Dutch-based environmental organization filed a lawsuit last year to block a $345 million award stemming from protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. A jury in North Dakota found Greenpeace liable for millions in damages to Texas-based Energy Transfer.

In response, Greenpeace brought a case in the Amsterdam District Court, arguing the North Dakota lawsuit was abusive and damaged the organization’s reputation.

Energy Transfer has been engaging in “blatant attempts to silence free speech, erase Indigenous leadership of the Standing Rock movement, and punish solidarity with the ongoing, peaceful resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline,” Greenpeace’s executive director Mads Christensen, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The pipeline company argued the Amsterdam court had no jurisdiction to hear the case, but judges found that as Greenpeace is headquartered in the Dutch capital, the proceedings could move forward.

In February, a North Dakota judge said he will order Greenpeace to pay damages, a figure the environmental group contends it cannot pay. Greenpeace says it will appeal that decision.