Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Killings and repression of defenders · Canada · 2012–2024

Resolute Forest Products v Greenpeace

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured. Disputed
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 1 none on record · 1 not disclosed · 4 insufficient · 1 not measured · 3 disputed See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Did Resolute log in breach of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement?
  • Communities and civil society Greenpeace: Alleged in December 2012 that Resolute built roads and logged in Montagnes Blanches in breach of the agreement, and withdrew from it. Environmental Paper Network
  • Communities and civil society Environmental Paper Network members: Suspended further work with Resolute under the agreement in May 2013. Environmental Paper Network
  • Communities and civil society Greenpeace Canada: Retracted a claim about Resolute in March 2013, citing a map error; the record does not say whether it concerned Montagnes Blanches. HuffPost Canada

A Canadian forest products company sued Greenpeace in a US federal court under the racketeering law (RICO) after a dispute over logging in the boreal forest. The court dismissed the racketeering claims in 2019 and the remaining claims in 2023, and the parties announced the end of the litigation in April 2024.

294 of 296Statements dismissed in the US court case
Dismissed in January 2019 together with the racketeering claims. Resolute was later ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law (April 2020, figure as reported by Greenpeace).

Status As of April 2024: the US racketeering claims against Greenpeace were dismissed (2019, 2023) and the parties announced the conclusion of the litigation; the outcome of Resolute's Ninth Circuit appeal was not found.

What?
A US federal racketeering suit by Resolute Forest Products against Greenpeace, dismissed in 2019 and 2023, arising from a dispute over logging in the boreal forest.
Where?
United States District Court, Northern District of California; the logging dispute concerned the Montagnes Blanches area in Canada. Environmental Paper Network
When?
Dispute from December 2012; RICO claims dismissed January 2019; remaining claims dismissed April 2023; litigation concluded April 2024. Greenpeace Canada
Who?
Gained
  • Greenpeace — Claims against it dismissed; about $816,000 in fees ordered to be paid by Resolute (April 2020, as reported by Greenpeace).
Lost
  • Resolute Forest Products — RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements dismissed; ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees.
Harmed
None on record
Why?
The record ties the dispute to Greenpeace's December 2012 allegations of logging in breach of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement; 296 statements by Greenpeace were at issue in the US case.
How?
Resolute pleaded the federal racketeering law; the court dismissed those claims and most of the statements, and awarded fees under California's anti-SLAPP law.
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

In 2010 forest companies and environmental groups signed the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, a voluntary agreement covering 72 to 76 million hectares of boreal forest (the number of signatories and the area vary by source; the record gives 21 companies and 9 environmental groups). In December 2012 Greenpeace alleged that Resolute Forest Products had built roads and logged in the Montagnes Blanches area in breach of the agreement, and withdrew from it. In May 2013 the remaining environmental groups suspended further work with Resolute under the agreement.

On 20 March 2013 HuffPost Canada reported that Greenpeace Canada had retracted a claim about Resolute because of a map error. The record does not say which claim was retracted.

Resolute brought a racketeering (RICO) case against Greenpeace in a US federal court, the Northern District of California. In January 2019 the court dismissed the RICO claims and 294 of the 296 statements at issue. In April 2020, according to Greenpeace, Resolute was ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law. In April 2023 the remaining claims were dismissed. Resolute appealed to the Ninth Circuit in May 2023; the outcome of the appeal was not found.

On 26 April 2024 Greenpeace Canada published a press release headed "Resolute and Greenpeace parties announce the conclusion of long-running litigations". The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.

In 2022 Greenpeace Canada published an investigation into the ownership of the company, which it said manages about 22 million hectares of forest in Canada, about 10% of managed forest, and alleged a link between Paper Excellence/Resolute and the Indonesian Sinar Mas group. The record states that there is no independent official finding on the alleged link.

  1. 2010Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement signed by forest companies and environmental groups
  2. 2012December: Greenpeace alleges Resolute built roads and logged in Montagnes Blanches in breach of the agreement, and withdraws from it
  3. 201320 March: Greenpeace Canada retracts a claim about Resolute, citing a map error. May: remaining environmental groups suspend work with Resolute under the agreement
  4. 2019January: US federal court (Northern District of California) dismisses the RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements
  5. 2020April: Resolute ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law (per Greenpeace)
  6. 2022Greenpeace Canada publishes an investigation into the ownership of the company and an alleged Sinar Mas link
  7. 2023April: remaining claims dismissed. May: Resolute appeals to the Ninth Circuit (outcome not found)
  8. 202426 April: Resolute and Greenpeace parties announce the conclusion of the litigation; amount not disclosed

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Did Resolute log in breach of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement?
Communities and civil society
Greenpeace

Alleged in December 2012 that Resolute built roads and logged in Montagnes Blanches in breach of the agreement, and withdrew from it.

Environmental Paper Network
Communities and civil society
Environmental Paper Network members

Suspended further work with Resolute under the agreement in May 2013.

Environmental Paper Network
Communities and civil society
Greenpeace Canada

Retracted a claim about Resolute in March 2013, citing a map error; the record does not say whether it concerned Montagnes Blanches.

HuffPost Canada
Were Greenpeace's statements actionable under the US racketeering law?
Courts
US federal court, Northern District of California

Dismissed the RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements (January 2019) and the remaining claims (April 2023).

Company or project
Resolute Forest Products

Appealed to the Ninth Circuit in May 2023.

Who owns the company and is there a link to the Sinar Mas group?
Communities and civil society
Greenpeace Canada

Alleged a link between Paper Excellence and the Indonesian Sinar Mas group in an ownership investigation.

Greenpeace Canada

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • Resolute built roads and logged in the Montagnes Blanches area in breach of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (December 2012).
    Greenpeace · Environmental Paper Network
  • The company manages 20 to 22 million hectares in Canada, about 10% of managed forest, and has an alleged link to the Sinar Mas group.
    Greenpeace Canada · Greenpeace Canada

Recorded

  • A claim by Greenpeace Canada about Resolute was retracted in March 2013 because of a map error.
    HuffPost Canada
  • RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements were dismissed in January 2019 by the federal court for the Northern District of California.
  • In April 2020 Resolute was ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law (figure as reported by Greenpeace).
  • The remaining claims were dismissed in April 2023; Resolute appealed to the Ninth Circuit in May 2023.
  • The parties announced the conclusion of the litigation on 26 April 2024.
    Greenpeace Canada

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
No figure published.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Currency: USD · Window: 2019–2024. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • Greenpeace Canada (2013-03-20): Retracted a claim about Resolute in March 2013, citing a map error. · HuffPost Canada
  • Resolute Forest Products and Greenpeace (2024-04-26): Announced the conclusion of the long-running litigation. · Greenpeace Canada

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements dismissed January 2019; remaining claims dismissed April 2023; appeal to the Ninth Circuit filed May 2023, outcome not foundDefendant won$816bn Fees Resolute was ordered to pay under California's anti-SLAPP law, April 2020 (about; per Greenpeace)
    Resolute Forest Products v Greenpeace (RICO)
    US District Court, Northern District of California · Civil · Resolute Forest Products → Greenpeace

    Resolute sued Greenpeace under the federal racketeering law. The court dismissed the RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements in January 2019, ordered Resolute to pay about $816,000 in fees in April 2020 (per Greenpeace) and dismissed the remaining claims in April 2023. Resolute appealed in May 2023. On 26 April 2024 the parties announced the conclusion of the litigation.

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

Statements dismissed
294 of 296
January 2019, with the RICO claims (federal court, Northern District of California)
Fees ordered against Resolute
About $816,000
April 2020, anti-SLAPP law, per Greenpeace

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Court ruling exists

Nature

  • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
  • Disputed Did Resolute log in breach of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement?

Figures

  • Insufficient Area (ha): Forest the company manages in Canada, according to Greenpeace Canada (the record's table gives 20 to 22 million ha); not independently verified.

Accounts

  • Disputed Were Greenpeace's statements actionable under the US racketeering law?
  • Disputed Who owns the company and is there a link to the Sinar Mas group?

Record

  • Not disclosed The amount of the settlement that concluded the litigation was not disclosed.
  • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: Resolute said the groups' demands would lead to the closure of several mills.
  • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: Paper Excellence acquired Resolute in 2023, and the company later took the name Domtar.
  • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: according to Greenpeace's account, the company received more than $200 million in public support in 2020-2024.
  • None on record There is no independent official finding on the alleged link between Paper Excellence and the Sinar Mas group.

Did the harm stop?

The court claims against Greenpeace were dismissed in 2019 and 2023, and the parties announced the conclusion of the litigation in April 2024. The record contains no finding on logging in Montagnes Blanches.

Who paid?

Resolute was ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law in April 2020, according to Greenpeace. The amount of the later settlement was not disclosed.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

Press and investigations

  1. Greenpeace Canada Resolute retraction
    HuffPost Canada · 2013-03-20

Communities and civil society

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Science and environment

Hectare (ha)
A unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres, about 2.5 acres. 100 hectares make one square kilometre.
Similar cases
Killings and repression of defenders · Protected area / relocation · Thailand · 1981–2025
Kaeng Krachan: Karen evictions and the disappearance of Billy
Same type: Killings and repression of defenders, Protected area / relocationCourt: lost by claimantHarm to nature disputed
Killings and repression of defenders · Protected area / relocation · Honduras · 2024–2026
Juan López killing and Guapinol mine
Same type: Killings and repression of defenders, Protected area / relocationHarm to nature disputedHarm to nature not measured
Killings and repression of defenders · Protected area / relocation · Nepal · 2006–2020
WWF Nepal Chitwan ranger death (Shikharam Chaudhary)
Same type: Killings and repression of defenders, Protected area / relocationCourt: lost by claimantHarm to nature not measured
Killings and repression of defenders · Protected area / relocation · DR Congo · 1975–2024
Kahuzi-Biega National Park: Batwa evictions and killings
Same type: Killings and repression of defenders, Protected area / relocationSame regionHarm to nature not measured
Killings and repression of defenders · Protected area / relocation · Brazil · 2019
Paulo Paulino Guajajara killing (Brazil)
Same type: Killings and repression of defenders, Protected area / relocationHarm to nature not measured
Killings and repression of defenders · Protected area / relocation · Republic of Congo · 2010–2025
African Parks Odzala-Kokoua abuses (Republic of Congo)
Same type: Killings and repression of defenders, Protected area / relocationHarm to nature not measured