Honor the Earth hit with $750k civil court judgment

Minnesota jury finds a former employee was sexually harassed and faced reprisals after raising concerns with the organization’s leaders

During her tenure at the Indigenous-led environmental protection organization Honor the Earth, Margaret Campbell worked to block construction of the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline, monitored social media accounts, met with funders and community partners, and assisted the executive director with personal matters.

She was also subjected to repeated sexual harassment from a co-worker, from which the organization — led by longtime activist and former U.S. vice presidential candidate Winona LaDuke — failed to protect her, a civil jury concluded March 30 after a brief trial in state district court in Minnesota.

The jury held that Honor the Earth should pay Campbell $750,000 for sexual harassment, mental suffering and retaliation, after Campbell reported the allegations to LaDuke and other organization leaders.

Campbell’s attorney, Christy Hall of Gender Justice, applauded Campbell for refusing to stay silent.

“She reported the harassment to her boss, but rather than protect her the organization protected her harasser at her expense,” Hall said. “But Margaret did not back down. Her lawsuit, and the jury’s findings, are an important reminder of the responsibility every employer has to end workplace harassment and abuse.”

Hall added, “Sexual harassment remains a widespread problem that affects people of every background and in every type of workplace, including social change organizations. No matter who we are or where we work, we all deserve a workplace that is free from discrimination, harassment or abuse.”

LaDuke posted a statement on Honor the Earth’s website, citing a 2019 Minnesota Department of Human Rights conclusion that there “was no probable cause to show that Honor the Earth was guilty of sexual discrimination or that it took punitive action” against Campbell.

“As we move forward from the court’s decision, we remain committed to resisting all forms of sexual harassment, violence and assault,” LaDuke wrote. “Honor The Earth is an organization predominantly led by Indigenous women and we will continue our organizational mission to raise awareness and offer support to develop needed financial and political resources for the survival of sustainable Indigenous communities.

“Honor the Earth is committed to the road ahead. We and our communities are resilient, we carry a 30-year history of courageous work and we will take these lessons in moving forward towards a just and sustainable future.”

LaDuke’s statement didn’t address what those lessons were or how it would respond, and she did not immediately respond to a message left by ICT at Honor the Earth. Martin Keller of Media Savant Co., which does communications and public relations work for Honor the Earth, said the organization expected to issue a longer statement soon.

The lawsuit has shaken the organization’s relationship with NDN Collective, the Indigenous-led advocacy organization that contributes funds to Honor the Earth. The organizations’ grantee-partnership ends April 14, and “any future partnership will hinge on the integrity and demonstration of [Honor the Earth’s] community harmony and safety protocols,” NDN Collective reported.

“Sexual assault, abuse and harassment remains one of the most harmful, challenging issues facing our People,” according to the statement. “It is critical that individuals, leaders and organizers show support and solidarity for those who have been harmed and find a path forward for authentic accountability and repair … It is our sincere hope that Honor the Earth can move forward from this painful moment in a way that repairs community harm and fosters authentic accountability for perpetrators.”

In addition, NDN Collective reported that Honor the Earth violated its grant funding agreement by not notifying it of the litigation – NDN Collective learned of the lawsuit only after the jury’s decision was reported in the news.

According to the lawsuit, Campbell worked at Honor the Earth from 2009 to 2015, first as an intern and then as a paid employee assigned to development and special projects. In 2013, she began working with Michael Dahl, who joined the staff from a radio station operated by the White Earth Land Recovery Project, also founded by LaDuke.

Dahl could not be reached for comment by ICT.

On several occasions in 2014, the lawsuit states, Dahl made sexual remarks and sexual gestures toward Campbell and others, in some instances in front of other people.

Campbell said LaDuke was dismissive of her complaints, saying in separate meetings with her about Dahl’s behavior that he lacked social skills, and that he had “verbal Tourette’s” — a reference to the disorder that involves repetitive movements or unwanted sounds that can’t be easily controlled — and couldn’t be held responsible for his words and actions.

LaDuke told Campbell that Dahl wasn’t dangerous and that, “We need to think about what redemption looks like … he does such good work,” the lawsuit states. LaDuke later reached out to Dahl and offered him help “to get you … out of that pickle if I can. Or at least be your friend,” according to the lawsuit.

Campbell said board members she consulted were also dismissive or defensive. She then turned to the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition and the Tribal Law and Policy Institute; representatives met with LaDuke and advised her that sexual harassment is a crime. When Campbell said she wanted to file a complaint about the harassment, LaDuke responded that it was “past the statute of limitations,” the lawsuit stated.

An Honor the Earth board member notified Campbell on Feb. 4, 2015, that she was being placed on unpaid administrative leave for speaking about the sexual harassment with a staff member of the Indigenous Environmental Network, which frequently collaborates with Honor the Earth.

Campbell said she later received a letter from LaDuke’s lawyer threatening legal action if she did not “stop the defamation and walk away quietly.”

According to the lawsuit, LaDuke and board members were motivated by concern about potential damage to Honor the Earth.

LaDuke later placed Dahl on administrative leave and, on Feb. 26, 2015, notified Honor the Earth’s supporters that the board of directors had adopted a no-tolerance sexual harassment policy, according to court records.

In January 2018, news stories reported that three horses placed under Dahl’s care starved to death in the snow. Honor the Earth condemned the deaths, but added, “[t]he Michael Dahl we knew was a kind person with commitments to his family, animals and community,” according to Campbell’s lawsuit.

Campbell, meanwhile, believes the was blackballed by the environmental community and was unable to find similar work, according to the suit.