ETP lawsuit dismissed by federal judge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2019 — 1:00 p.m. CT
Contact: Ed Fallon at (515) 238-6404 or [email protected]

LAWSUIT CITING BOLD IOWA DISMISSED BY FEDERAL JUDGE
Allegations against us were absurd, claims Bold Iowa’s leader

Des Moines, IA — Bold Iowa’s director, Ed Fallon, today praised US District Court Judge Roy Billy Wilson for his ruling on February 14, 2019, to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) on August 22, 2017, against a handful of organizations, including Bold Iowa, who continue to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). ETP sought $900 million in damages.

“This was a corporate witch hunt, an insidious effort to silence public opposition to DAPL and other fossil-fuel expansion projects,” said Fallon. “We’re thrilled that the court ruled against ETP.” Bold Iowa was named 18 times in ETP’s lawsuit, and Fallon’s writings were specifically cited on three occasions.

Fallon’s blogs from his visit to Standing Rock in November and December of 2016 are referenced on page 154 of the lawsuit. Bold Iowa’s Bold Action Teams are discussed in Item 316 of the lawsuit, which states, “To stop construction, Bold Iowa organized and trained ‘Bold Action Teams’ (‘BAT’) which consisted of teams of five people who mobilize repeatedly to prevent construction until the point that the BATs were threatened with arrests. Bold Iowa members trespassed on live construction zones and physically prevented construction by lying in front of bulldozers or other construction equipment. Bold Iowa combined the BAT method with regular press releases openly touting the effectiveness of the BAT method of shutting down construction. BAT disruptions ultimately resulted in dozens of arrests.”

“It’s encouraging to know that our efforts had an impact,” concluded Fallon. “At the same time, any American who values freedom of speech and the right to assemble should find it chilling that a huge corporation with seemingly bottomless pockets can use its clout to try to silence dissent through the courts.”

Bold Iowa is an independent non-profit organization that works to mobilize Iowans to take action on the climate crisis, oppose the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure projects, promote non-industrial renewable energy, and build a broad coalition concerned about climate, land, water, and property rights.

Ed Fallon, served in the Iowa Legislature for 14 years before running for governor in 2006 and US Congress in 2008. Since 2009, he has hosted a talk show, The Fallon Forum, which airs on six radio stations and is available online.

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