The Center for Biological Diversity has built a national reputation - and made a living - by suing the federal government on behalf of endangered species.
In 2003, it got reimbursed for $992,354 in expenses after winning in court - about double what its 10,000 members donated that year.
But now that same legal system has hit the Tucson-based group with a $600,000 judgment - one-quarter of the center's net assets at the end of 2003, according to the most recent annual report posted on its Web site.
Policy Director Kieran Suckling said the group he helped start in 1989 won't back down in the wake of Friday's verdict.
"The center has been here a long time, and we'll be here a long time in the future," he said.
"In our history we've lost some battles, which meant forests got cut down and endangered species got hurt. That's the darkest day. What happens to us as a group, as individuals, is nothing compared to the suffering of plants and animals," he said.
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Calling itself "nature's legal eagles," the center claims credit for safeguarding 335 species - about one-quarter of the 1,264 plants and animals now protected by the federal government.
Using a provision in the Endangered Species Act that allows for citizen petitions, the center has forced the government to list creatures at risk of extinction and map millions of acres of "critical habitat" that can face stricter regulation.
Jim Chilton's suit also named three of the center's current and former workers: Martin Taylor, Shane Jimerfield and A.J. Schneller. But they won't be held financially liable for the libel, Suckling said.
Although the center has insurance, Suckling said he wasn't sure how much of the jury award it will cover. He also noted the legal fees the center earns are reimbursed expenses.
"That's not a pot of money sitting around unused," he said.
The fees won in 2003 were unusually high, he said, with the typical amount around $300,000 per year.
