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July 25, 2018, New York, NY – In response to a North Dakota District Court’s dismissal of a RICO suit against environmental NGO BankTrack by Energy Transfer Partners, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) issued the following statement:
We applaud the dismissal of a lawsuit against BankTrack by Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), which argued that BankTrack’s advocacy against the Dakota Access Pipeline amounted to racketeering. The court’s decision affirms that the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) cannot be used to silence dissent against powerful corporate interests. We await the judge’s decision on the parallel claims by ETP against Greenpeace and Earth First!, and hope that he likewise dismisses them, as corporations must not be allowed to litigate away the voices of their opponents who advocate in the public interest.
The Center for Constitutional Rights works with communities under threat to fight for justice and liberation through litigation, advocacy, and strategic communications. Since 1966, the Center for Constitutional Rights has taken on oppressive systems of power, including structural racism, gender oppression, economic inequity, and governmental overreach. Learn more at ccrjustice.org.