Judge says Greenpeace must pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half

By JACK DURA, Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota judge has ordered Greenpeace to pay damages of $345 million, reducing an earlier jury award after it found the environmental group and related entities were liable for defamation and other claims brought by a pipeline company in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.

The award is roughly half the $667 million that a jury previously had awarded to the company, Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access.

State District Judge James Gion granted and denied Greenpeace requests to rule in its favor on various claims before recalculating the damages.

Energy Transfer said it intends to appeal the verdict “as we firmly believe that the original jury findings and damages awards for conspi