Federal appeals court upholds judge’s dismissal of Dakota Access Pipeline protesters’ lawsuit

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit by Dakota Access Pipeline protesters who alleged excessive force by law enforcement during a clash in 2016. Nine protesters filed the lawsuit alleging civil rights violations in officers’ use of tear gas, rubber bullets, shotgun bean bags and water in below-freezing temperatures during the clash in November 2016. In 2021, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit at the request of the officers named in the case. The appeals court ruling on Nov. 3 affirmed the judge’s decision.