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Lawsuit (SLAPP)

31 May 2016

Greenpeace International

Status: DISMISSED

Date lawsuit was filed
31 May 2016
Date accuracy
All Correct
Greenpeace International
Civil
Not applicable
Environmental concerns group
Lawsuits: SLAPPs
Lawyer for the claimant: Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP
Legal claims: Defamation, Racketeering, Conspiracy, Tortious interference, Trademark
Number of Defendants: 5
Amount of damages: $300,000,000
Lawsuit Brought By: Company
Target: Group, Organisation or Institution
Location of Filing: United States of America
Location of Incident: United States of America
Resolute Forest Products Canada Logging & lumber, Paper & cardboard Company Response
Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP United States of America Law firms Company Response

Sources

On May 31, 2016, Resolute Forest Products (“Resolute”) filed a federal lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia against Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Inc., Greenpeace Fund Inc., STAND.earth (formerly ForestEthics), and five individual staff members of these organizations. The complaint included federal racketeering claims, trademark, defamation, and tortious interference claims under Georgia law (the case was later transferred to the US District Court for the Northern District of California). Resolute alleged that the defendants misrepresented facts in order to induce donations, and used false claims to “extort” Resolute customers. Resolute claimed at least $300,000,000 in damages. On October 16, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed all of the logging company’s claims with leave to amend. The court also awarded the defendants their attorneys’ fees pursuant to the California anti-SLAPP statute. Resolute filed a repackaged version of its original complaint three weeks later. On January 22, 2019. the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed all claims under RICO and most of the state law claims (claims related to 294 of the 296 statements at issue). The case was dismissed in full against STAND.earth, Greenpeace Fund, and two individual defendants. We invited the company to respond; it did. A rejoinder from the organization is available here.