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Aug 22, 2017, 13:06 ET
DALLAS, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE: ETE) and Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE: ETP) today filed a federal lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota against Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Inc., Greenpeace Fund, Inc., BankTrack, Earth First!, and other organizations and individuals. The Complaint, which is Index number 1:17-cv-00173, alleges that this group of co-conspirators (the “Enterprise”) manufactured and disseminated materially false and misleading information about Energy Transfer and the Dakota Access Pipeline (“DAPL”) for the purpose of fraudulently inducing donations, interfering with pipeline construction activities and damaging Energy Transfer’s critical business and financial relationships. The Complaint also alleges that the Enterprise incited, funded, and facilitated crimes and acts of terrorism to further these objectives. It further alleges claims that these actions violated federal and state racketeering statutes, defamation, and constituted defamation and tortious interference under North Dakota law.
The alleged Enterprise is comprised of rogue environmental groups and militant individuals who employ a pattern of criminal activity and a campaign of misinformation for purposes of increasing donations and advancing their political or business agendas. The Complaint describes the Enterprise’s misinformation campaign that aggressively targeted Energy Transfer’s critical business relationships, including the financing sources for DAPL and Energy Transfer’s other infrastructure projects, by publicly demanding these financial institutions sever ties with Energy Transfer or face crippling boycotts and other illegal attacks.
The Complaint asserts that the attacks were calculated and thoroughly irresponsible, causing enormous harm to people and property along the pipeline’s route. Dakota Access was a legally permitted project that underwent nearly three years of rigorous environmental review and for this reason, Energy Transfer believes it has an obligation to its shareholders, partners, stakeholders and all those negatively impacted by the violence and destruction intentionally incited by the defendants to file this lawsuit.
The DAPL misinformation campaign was predicated on a series of false, alarmist, and sensational claims that plaintiffs:
- encroached on tribal treaty lands;
- desecrated sacred sites of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s (“SRST”) in constructing DAPL;
- constructed DAPL without consulting with and over the rights and objections of SRST; and
- used excessive and illegal force against peaceful protestors.
The Enterprise also claimed that the pipeline will inevitably result in catastrophic oil spills, poisoned water, and massive climate change, while ironically, members of the Enterprise deliberately and maliciously attempted to cut holes in the pipeline with torches which, if successful, would have resulted in significant environmental damage and possible loss of life.
The Enterprise supported these false claims with manufactured evidence, including phony GPS coordinates purporting to show the existence of cultural and religious artifacts along DAPL’s corridor, and sham affidavits submitted in court.
In addition to its misinformation campaign, the Enterprise directly and indirectly funded eco-terrorists on the ground in North Dakota. These groups formed their own outlaw camp among peaceful protestors gathered near Lake Oahe, and exploited the peaceful activities of these groups to further the Enterprise’s corrupt agenda by inducing and directing violent and destructive attacks against law enforcement as well as Plaintiffs’ property and personnel. The Enterprise then flagrantly manipulated these “made-for-TV” events to raise more funds for the Enterprise. These terrorist groups also funded their activities and the Enterprise by using donations to fund a lucrative drug trafficking scheme inside the camps.
Other illegal activities directed at Energy Transfer and its executives that are alleged in the Complaint include persistent attempted cyber-attacks and telephonic and electronic threats to the physical safety of executives.
The Enterprise has conceded that their campaign has inflicted “hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to the Company,” including increased costs of financing resulting from the Enterprise’s interference with the Company’s financial relationships and mitigation costs in response to the Enterprise’s illegal and malicious campaign. These damages, as well as the harm to the Company’s reputation, resulting from the Enterprise’s misinformation campaign, continue to this day. Energy Transfer is seeking compensatory damages in an amount to be proven at trial as well as treble and punitive damages.
Michael J. Bowe from Kasowitz, Benson & Torres LLP, the Company’s counsel, is continuing the investigation into the Enterprise’s campaign and practices. Anyone with information can provide it on a confidential basis by telephone at 212-506-1777. A website will be established to catalog information and publish progress reports on the case and, when necessary, to set the record straight as the facts warrant.
Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE: ETE) is a master limited partnership that owns the general partner and 100% of the incentive distribution rights (IDRs) of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE: ETP) and Sunoco LP (NYSE: SUN). ETE also owns Lake Charles LNG Company. On a consolidated basis, ETE’s family of companies owns and operates a diverse portfolio of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and refined products assets, as well as retail and wholesale motor fuel operations and LNG terminalling. For more information, visit the Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. website at energytransfer.com.
Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (NYSE: ETP) is a master limited partnership that owns and operates one of the largest and most diversified portfolios of energy assets in the United States. Strategically positioned in all of the major U.S. production basins, ETP owns and operates a geographically diverse portfolio of complementary natural gas midstream, intrastate and interstate transportation and storage assets; crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGL) and refined product transportation and terminalling assets; NGL fractionation; and various acquisition and marketing assets. ETP’s general partner is owned by Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE: ETE). For more information, visit the Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. website at energytransfer.com.
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SOURCE Energy Transfer Equity, L.P.
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HT/OK S.
Excellent. I wish the plaintiffs great success.
What is particularly pointed is the defense Greenpeace used in the Canadian part of the Resolute case, that they had no obligation to use true claims of harm, and that everyone should have known they were lying.
The old ‘we use hyperbole, so we can’t be taken literally’ defense.
Perhaps they should be required to put that messaging in a visibly prominent spot on all their fliers, ads, TV spots.
You know, like the tobacco industry.
Sounds fair to me.
The Canadian case was for defamation, therefore the “intent” of the message in addition to its content was relevant. This case is different as the accusations are of direct damage (destruction of property and extortion by threatening to boycott investors). That defence is unlikely to be successful in this case.
How does one defend against defamation by saying they lied?
Please.please let this lawsuit be successful.
Jail for the organisers and punitive damages for Greenp!ss and its co-conspirators..
I genuinely hope this starts a trend. I hope every two-bit company screwed by environmentalists, in every target industry, decides to take a bite.
I’ll order more popcorn. 😀
It is about time that American companies begin to fight back against these criminal eco-nuts. I wish them all the success in thew world. Resolute (international forestry group) also has an ongoing suit against Greenpeace — civil suit in Canada and a similar RICO-based suit in the US.
The attorneys for Energy Transfer, Kasowitz, Benson & Torres, are led by Marc Kasowitz, who has represented the current President, Donald Trump, in litigation. I would expect that the plaintiffs will make this litigation very painful for the defendants.
Energy Transfer may have a very good case as they have suffered large losses due to provable lies used by these organizations to raise money. What a nice world it would be without Green Peace!
Only comment I’ll make at this point is to substitute “disinformation” for “misinformation” in the above article.
Why?
Misinformation can be innocent.
I notice that when it comes to building pipelines, various organizations, as often as not led by native groups, oppose them with all their might. (For now I will leave aside whether the native groups are protesting on their own or being paid by one of Soros’s organizations to do so.) But as soon as a forest fire threatens their remote bush community, the fossil-fuel-powered evacuation aircraft just cannot get there soon enough. Where I come from, we used to call that hypocrisy…
How about this, Native Americans: we won’t build pipelines through your lands, but we won’t send any fossil-fuel powered rescue vehicles to save you ever again either. Or to bring you supplies of any type for that matter. Fair deal?