Judge rejects pause of Greenpeace lawsuit in Netherlands

A North Dakota judge has denied a request from Energy Transfer, the developer of the Dakota Access Pipeline, to halt a lawsuit Greenpeace International filed against it in the Netherlands, according to the North Dakota Monitor. Southwest Judicial District Judge James Gion wrote that while the two cases overlap in subject matter, the legal claims are different, meaning the Dutch case is not an attempt to relitigate the North Dakota lawsuit.

Energy Transfer had asked Gion to order Greenpeace to pause its overseas litigation, arguing it threatened to undermine a North Dakota jury’s finding against Greenpeace earlier this year. In March, a Morton County jury found the environmental group liable for more than $660 million. Greenpeace denies the allegations and has requested that Gion overturn the verdict or reduce the award. Gion has not yet entered a judgment but said he expects to rule within the next week.