A Texas pipeline company's lawsuit accusing Greenpeace of defamation, disruptions and attacks during protests against the Dakota

A Texas pipeline company's lawsuit accusing Greenpeace of defamation, disruptions and attacks during protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline goes to trial in North Dakota on Monday, in a case the environmental advocacy organization says threatens free speech rights and its very future.

A Texas pipeline company has sued Greenpeace accusing the organization of defamation, disruptions and attacks during protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline

The trial in North Dakota that observers are describing as a key free speech rights case has begun. Energy Transfer, a Texas-based company and the operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline, is suing Greenpeace for alleged defamation and what their lawyers describe as a “campaign of violence.

A closely watched trial that could bankrupt Greenpeace begins today in North Dakota. The Texas pipeline company Energy Transfer filed a $300 million SLAPP lawsuit against Greenpeace over its role in organizing protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

After nearly eight years, Dallas-based pipeline company Energy Transfer LP’s $300 million trial against Greenpeace USA is set to begin Monday in North Dakota.

Jury selection began Monday in Dakota Access Pipeline's $300 million lawsuit against Greenpeace USA. A federal lawsuit by the company was dismissed but there is a similar one filed in North Dakota state court in 2019.