Ben & Jerry’s has accused father or mother firm Unilever of ousting its chief government in a authorized dispute over the ice cream model’s edgy political stances.
In a lawsuit filed within the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Ben & Jerry’s claims Unilever violated their merger settlement by unfairly making an attempt to gag its “social mission.” The submitting alleges that Unilever “repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, together with CEO David Stever, ought to they fail to adjust to Unilever’s efforts to silence the social mission.”
The dispute follows Ben & Jerry’s accusations final month that Unilever tried to cease it from publicly criticizing President Trump. Since its founding in 1978, Ben & Jerry’s has been vocal on social points, from local weather change to LGBTQ+ rights.
The corporate’s relationship with Unilever has been strained since 2021 when the ice cream element halted gross sales within the West Financial institution to protest Israeli coverage there.
Tensions escalated after Ben & Jerry’s publicly referred to as for a ceasefire in Gaza and sued the London-based large in November, claiming the Vermont subsidiary was blocked from supporting Palestinian refugees.
The ice cream maker’s newest lawsuit argues that Mr. Stever’s removing was made “with none session, as required within the merger settlement.” It additionally claims Unilever “tried to pressure the impartial board into rubber-stamping the choice.”
The Washington Instances has reached out to Unilever for remark.
