Can a lumber company sue its grassroots public interest critics to attempt to silence them? While many states and many courts say no, yesterday Resolute Forest Products filed a civil RICO lawsuit in United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. Incredibly, the suit complains that Greenpeace and Stand (formerly ForestEthics) have acted as a “criminal enterprise” in their public interest advocacy to stop destructive logging and protect waterways, wildlife, and communities in the Boreal forest of Canada.

…It is about the role of corporations in society and their use and abuse of the legal system to erode free speech and our democracy.

… This lawsuit is an attempt to muzzle individuals and the public interest groups they support, like ours, that operate to protect public health and the environment...