Ben & Jerry’s said in a court filing that its parent company had ousted its chief executive, David Stever, without approval from the ice cream maker’s board.
In a filing in federal court in New York, Ben & Jerry’s accused Unilever of violating a merger agreement by continuously “silencing” Ben & Jerry’s “social mission.”
The ice cream maker says Unilever has threatened its CEO, David Stever, as well as other Ben & Jerry’s employees, over their support for Palestinian refugees.
“Unilever has repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, including CEO David Stever, should they fail to comply with Unilever’s efforts to silence the social mission,” the filing said.
In the filing, Ben & Jerry’s said an independent board was set up in 2000 following the company’s sale to Unilever, and that its primary role is to “enshrine guardrails preventing any dilution of the company’s social mission and brand integrity.”
On the Ben & Jerry’s website, the ice cream maker identifies its social mission as a “progressive, nonpartisan” one.
Bitter dispute
The lawsuit amendment is the latest development in a bitter dispute between the brand and its owner. It started in 2021 when the ice cream company announced it would stop selling its products in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
In November, Ben & Jerry’s launched legal action against Unilever, accusing its parent company of trying to stop it from making public statements supporting Palestine. Last month, Ben & Jerry’s also accused its owner of demanding it stop publicly criticizing US President Donald Trump.
It’s been a testing time for Unilever, which recently replaced its CEO Hein Schumacher in a surprise move. He had only spent 18 months in the role. Unilever replaced him with chief financial officer Fernando Fernandez.
Both Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s have been contacted for comment but have not responded at the time of publication.
