North Dakota to receive $28 million settlement for DAPL protest lawsuit

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley held a press conference, touting the state winning its lawsuit against the federal government, relating to cleanup costs at the site of the DAPL protest that occurred in the state about ten years ago.

As part of the settlement, North Dakota will receive $28 million from the federal government.

This is the same amount the state won in an earlier decision on the case by U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor in 2025.

The federal government also agreed to drop an appeal they were making on that court judgment.

In the original lawsuit, filed in 2019, North Dakota alleged the federal government allowed protestors on federal land illegally.

Wrigley says another part of the settlement requires the federal government to say that it, “recognizes that the federal government’s response to these events fell short in important respects.”

It also requires the government to say Dakota Access Pipeline protesters engaged in unlawful behavior during the demonstrations, including violent acts.

The U.S. Justice Department’s full statement on the settlement can be found here.