“Energy Transfer Asks North Dakota Justices to Block Greenpeace Countersuit”, 21 November 2025

Texas-based pipeline developer Energy Transfer, the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline and the intense national protests that surrounded it, has taken an extraordinary legal step. The firm, which operates a major office in Oklahoma City, recently asked the North Dakota Supreme Court to halt Greenpeace USA from continuing a countersuit filed in the Netherlands—a lawsuit operating entirely under Dutch law.

The New York Times reported the unusual nature of the request: Energy Transfer is effectively asking state-level U.S. judges to stop litigation filed in another country…

Earlier this year, Energy Transfer secured a $670 million judgment against Greenpeace following a jury trial in Mandan, North Dakota…

A judge later reduced the award by nearly half due to legal technicalities, but the remaining judgment remains significant enough that, if upheld, it could potentially force Greenpeace USA to shut down its operations…

Greenpeace then launched a countersuit in the Netherlands, where Energy Transfer conducts business, arguing that the company’s actions amounted to abusive litigation tactics designed to suppress free speech and protest. Rather than respond exclusively in the foreign court, Energy Transfer is now trying to stop the Dutch case from within North Dakota…