Inside Greenpeace International’s Legal Fight Against Big Oil’s Bullying Lawsuit

Bad news for bullies: Greenpeace International (GPI) initiated the first test of the European Union’s new anti-SLAPP Directive, a major step toward ending the practice of the courts being abused to silence those who speak out on matters of public interest. After a recent barrage of such bullying lawsuits from Big Oil companies, GPI has now filed a lawsuit in Dutch court against the worst offender, Energy Transfer. The US-based fossil fuel pipeline company is waging one of the world’s most brazen SLAPPs — and it’s time to demonstrate this practice doesn’t pay.

Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (known as SLAPPs) are a weapon widely used by fossil fuel companies against environmental activists, journalists, and Indigenous Peoples. The EU’s anti-SLAPP Directive was adopted in March 2024 after a strong civil society coalition persuaded the EU to act.

Greenpeace International and the Greenpeace entities in the US are currently defending a meritless SLAPP lawsuit for nearly US$ 300 million in North Dakota filed by Energy Transfer (ET). Within months after its adoption, the new EU anti-SLAPP Directive was already factoring into GPI’s fight against ET: GPI, which is based in the Netherlands, sent a Notice of Liability in July 2024 informing ET of its intention to bring a lawsuit against the company in a Dutch court to recover all damage and costs it has suffered as a result of the SLAPP suit, unless ET withdraws its case against Greenpeace International and accepts responsibility. Energy Transfer refused to do so.