A U.S. jury on Thursday ordered Greenpeace to pay $667 million to an oil pipeline operator for defamation, a decision activists warn will stifle advocacy efforts.

The verdict stems from protests against the construction of a pipeline in North Dakota, where demonstrations turned violent. Energy Transfer, the company behind the project, blamed Greenpeace for inciting the unrest.

Greenpeace maintained it played a minor role in the protests and characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to silence opposition to fossil fuels.

According to a previous report by Pipeline Technology Journal, Energy Transfer claimed Greenpeace’s actions led to more than $82 million in security and contractor costs, $80 million in lost profits, and $68 million in lost financing.

Energy Transfer's attorney, Trey Cox, argued the delays caused by Greenpeace forced the pipeline's completion to be pushed back five months.

Greenpeace disputed these claims, asserting it had no involvement in Energy Transfer's financing or operational delays. The organization also challenged the company’s damage calculations and the lack of expert testimony on reputational harm.

The legal battle is part of a growing trend of environment-related lawsuits in global courts. This week, a Peruvian farmer initiated his lawsuit against the German utility RWE, alleging that the company is responsible for rising water levels near his home due to its contribution to global temperature increases.