Charlie Kirk, Founder and President of Turning Point USA | X
Charlie Kirk, Founder and President of Turning Point USA | X
Charlie Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point USA, said it was "great news" that a North Dakota jury ordered Greenpeace to pay $660 million in damages to the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline for defamation, trespassing, and conspiracy, according to Kirk's post on X.
"A North Dakota jury just ordered the radical environmental group Greenpeace to pay $660 million in damages," Kirk said in the post. "Greenpeace says the damages might drive it into bankruptcy. Great news!"
According to AP News, the lawsuit against Greenpeace originated from its involvement in the 2016–2017 protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. Energy Transfer, operators of the pipeline, filed the lawsuit against Greenpeace in 2017, accusing the organization of defamation, conspiracy, and other claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The legal action followed years of escalating tensions between pipeline developers and environmental activists, with protests drawing international attention.
AP News reported that a North Dakota jury ordered Greenpeace to pay over $660 million in damages to Energy Transfer following a civil trial. The verdict included approximately $403.8 million in damages assigned to Greenpeace, Inc., and $131 million each to Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Fund, Inc. The jury found the group liable for defamation, trespassing, and civil conspiracy.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18 with Tea Party activist William Montgomery. Their goal was to promote conservative principles on college campuses. Under Kirk's leadership, the organization expanded significantly, growing to over 3,500 high school and college chapters across the United States. It reported revenue growth from $4.3 million in 2016 to $81.7 million in 2023. In 2019, Kirk launched Turning Point Action as a political advocacy arm and established Turning Point Faith in 2021 to engage religious communities in conservative political activism.
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