Environmental Activist Law Firm Ordered to Pay $9 Million After Losing Suit

The EDO was forced to pay the penalty after the judge considered it an active participant in an environmental campaign.

Protesters gather at the front of the Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne, Australia on Nov. 15, 2022. This case involves Santos Ltd., and the major Barossa Gas project, located near the Tiwi Islands off the northern coast of Australia. Tamati Smith/Getty Images

The Australian Federal Court has ordered the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) to pay all the legal costs incurred by energy giant Santos after it lost a claim on behalf of an Indigenous community.

The ruling will likely raise further questions about its ongoing viability, and strengthen the resolve of Coalition and Liberal state governments to end its public funding.