Opening statements are scheduled to begin in the trial of a Texas pipeline company's lawsuit against Greenpeace.

The trial in North Dakota that observers are describing as a key free speech rights case has begun. Energy Transfer, a Texas-based company and the operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline, is suing Greenpeace for alleged defamation and what their lawyers describe as a “campaign of violence.

A Texas pipeline company's lawsuit accusing Greenpeace of defamation, disruptions and attacks during protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline goes to trial in North Dakota on Monday, in a case the environmental advocacy organization says threatens free speech rights and its very future.

This case and its outcome should be the concern of every American,” a legal expert says as the Dakota Access Pipeline trial is set to begin.

A closely watched trial that could bankrupt Greenpeace begins today in North Dakota. The Texas pipeline company Energy Transfer filed a $300 million SLAPP lawsuit against Greenpeace over its role in organizing protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

In a closely watched case, the owner of the Dakota Access Pipeline is claiming the environmental group masterminded protests that hurt the company’s business.

”Freedom of speech is on the line,” says Waniya Locke, a member of Standing Rock Grassroots. “This directly impacts everybody, not just Standing Rock, not just Greenpeace.”

A Texas pipeline company has sued Greenpeace accusing the organization of defamation, disruptions and attacks during protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline

The $300 million lawsuit deals with protests against a pipeline route at a Missouri River crossing north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.