Greenpeace argues Resolute racketeering suit ‘brute force’ intimidation
TORONTO — A $300-million lawsuit filed by a multinational forest giant against Greenpeace under American racketeering laws enacted to deal with organized crime is simply an intimidation tactic that would set a dangerous precedent if successful, the environmental group argues in new court filings.
In calling on a court in Georgia to toss out the suit, Greenpeace says Resolute Forest Products is trying to silence critics of its logging practices in Canada’s boreal forests. The approach, Greenpeace says in its filings, puts all public-interest advocacy at risk.
“Allowing this threatens to open the floodgates for any plaintiff who disagrees with positions that any advocacy groups might take,” the filing states. “The collective burden on advocacy groups and the courts and the injury to open, public debate, could be extreme.”
In a years-long campaign against Resolute, Greenpeace publicly accused the Montreal-based forestry giant of unsustainable logging in Canada that threatens endangered and other wildlife, contributes to climate change, and ignores indigenous peoples.