boreal forest

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</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/greenpeace-responds-to-repackaged-rico-lawsuit-by-canadian-logging-company/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/greenpeace-responds-to-repackaged-rico-lawsuit-by-canadian-logging-company/</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="titleGroup" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 45px;"><h1 class="titleGroup-title giantTitle postType-news" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 52px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Greenpeace Responds to Repackaged RICO Lawsuit by Canadian Logging Company</font></h1><p class="titleGroup-date smallText" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">by Rodrigo Estrada</font></p><p class="titleGroup-date smallText" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 18px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">January 30, 2018</font></p></div><div class="articleBody" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 65px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Defendants in the controversial racketeering case [1] filed by Resolute Forest Products to silence forest defenders and environmental organizations, including Greenpeace, filed a motion to dismiss [2] the repackaged version [3] of the lawsuit yesterday. This action is in response to Resolute’s decision to refile meritless claims that were already dismissed on October 16, 2017 by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Greenpeace USA General Counsel Tom Wetterer said:</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“It’s obvious that Resolute’s legal strategy has reached a dead-end. The Judge’s dismissal of this case last year made it clear that it is a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, a meritless attack on freedom of speech and public advocacy. The court’s decision also awarded Greenpeace attorney fees under California’s anti-SLAPP statute.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Resolute’s amended complaint does not address the many deficiencies that Judge Tigar identified in the company’s claims when he dismissed this case the first time in October. Unfortunately, Resolute’s management continues to waste the court’s time, its shareholders’ money, and other valuable resources that would be better used elsewhere — like in the implementation of solutions that protect forests, respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and stabilize jobs in local communities. We are confident that this repackaged lawsuit will meet the same fate as the one already dismissed.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The misuse of racketeering laws with massive damage claims against advocacy organizations is part of a playbook developed by Trump’s go-to law firm, Kasowitz Benson Torres, to silence fair criticism of corporations. This firm not only represents Resolute, it also filed a strikingly similar lawsuit on behalf of Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind the infamous Dakota Access Pipeline that was opposed by an inspiring indigenous-led movement. Corporate bullies and their mercenary lawyers will not prevail over the right of the people to speak up.”</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Notes to editors:</font></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[1] On May 31, 2016 Resolute Forest Products filed a CAD$300 million lawsuit under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) in the United States District Court for Southern Georgia, against Greenpeace International, Greenpeace, Inc., Greenpeace Fund, Inc., Stand.earth (formerly ForestEthics), and five individual staff members of these independent organizations. The case was transferred to Northern California on May 16, 2017 when Resolute failed to demonstrate that the case should be heard in Georgia. On October 16, 2017 the U.S. District Court for Northern California dismissed all of the company’s claims. On November 6, 2017 Resolute’s lawyers filed a repackaged version of the same meritless claims against Greenpeace, Inc., Greenpeace Fund, Greenpeace International, Stand.earth and the individual defendants in the same court.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is Resolute’s second lawsuit against Greenpeace. In 2013, the company filed a CAD$7 million defamation case against Greenpeace Canada and two staff members in Ontario, which is still pending. Click <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/resolutelawsuits/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">here</a> for more information about the existing legal cases between Resolute Forest Products and Greenpeace, or copy this to your browser: <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/resolutelawsuits/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">http://www.greenpeace.org/resolutelawsuits/</a></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[2] Click <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/Global/canada/file/2018/MotiontoDismissAmendedComplaintGreenpeaceDefendants.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">here</a> to access the motion to dismiss filed by Greenpeace, Inc., Greenpeace International and their staff, or copy the following link to your browser: http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/Global/canada/file/2018/MotiontoDismissAmendedComplaintGreenpeaceDefendants.pdf</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Click <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/Global/canada/file/2018/MotionToDismissAmendedComplaintGreenpeaceFund.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">here</a> to access the motion to dismiss filed by Greenpeace Fund, or copy the following link to your browser: http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/Global/canada/file/2018/MotionToDismissAmendedComplaintGreenpeaceFund.pdf</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[3] Click <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/Global/canada/file/2017/10/20171108-PACER-0185-Amended-Complaint.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">here</a> to access the amended complaint filed by Resolute Forest Products, or copy the following link to your browser: <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/Global/canada/file/2017/10/20171108-PACER-0185-Amended-Complaint.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/Global/canada/file/2017/10/20171108-PACER-0185-Amended-Complaint.pdf</a></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Media contact:</font></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rodrigo Estrada, <a href="mailto:rodrigo.estrada@greenpeace.org" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s;">rodrigo.estrada@greenpeace.org</a>, 202-478-6632</font></p></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/resolute-to-pay-almost-1-million-dollars-to-greenpeace/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/resolute-to-pay-almost-1-million-dollars-to-greenpeace/</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">S<span style="box-sizing: border-box;">an Francisco, April 23, 2020</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> —<b> Logging Giant Resolute Forest Products, which has waged meritless lawsuits against multiple Greenpeace offices and individual staff members since 2013, was ordered yesterday to reimburse defendants a total of about  $816,000 USD to cover attorneys’ fees and costs [1] related to dismissed legal claims that were intended to silence critics of the company’s controversial environmental record.</b></span></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</span></font></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">This is the latest favorable decision for Greenpeace in the U.S. federal lawsuit that started over four years ago. Resolute’s lawsuits are clear examples of  Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) [2].</span> <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">The goal of a SLAPP suit is not to win in court, but instead to intimidate defendants into silence and exhaust them of their resources. In addition to Resolute undoubtedly spending vast sums on its own lawyers, it now must cover a large portion of the attorneys’ fees incurred by those it sued. Despite </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">almost the entirety of the </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">lawsuit already being dismissed in January 2019, Resolute continues to pursue this SLAPP tactic in an attempt to drain Greenpeace resources and distract the organization from other valuable work. But, in this case, the bully is left to foot the bill. The two Greenpeace entities in the United States [3] that Resolute sued requested the payment of their attorneys’ fees and costs as allowed under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, most of which were granted in the court’s order. This historical award is one of the highest monetary figures ever under California’s anti-SLAPP statute. </span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Greenpeace USA General Counsel Tom Wetterer said in response to the decision:</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“This decision shows that Resolute made a very expensive mistake coming after Greenpeace for our work protecting Canada’s boreal forest. The judge’s decisions both to dismiss the majority of the claims in this case and now awarding substantial attorneys’ fees affirm that Resolute’s divisive and bullying tactics are a waste of time and resources. The court’s decision should be a warning to other corporations and powerful interests that legal attacks on free speech and public advocacy are bad business decisions.” </font></span></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
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