Ben & Jerry’s has filed a lawsuit against its parent company, Unilever, after the famed ice cream brand claims its CEO was fired over political views.
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According to court documents obtained by USA Today, the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, March 18. Ben & Jerry’s claims its parent company has violated a merger agreement by continuously “silencing” its “social mission.”
The ice cream company further accuses Unilever of threatening its now-former CEO, David Stever, and other employees over their support for Palestinian refugees amid the war in Gaza.
“Unilever has repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, including CEO David Stever,” the filing revealed. “Should they fail to comply with Unilever’s efforts to silence the social mission.”
The ice cream brand further revealed that an independent board was set up in 2000 following its sale to Unilever. The board’s primary role is to “enshrine guardrails preventing any dilution of the company’s social mission and brand integrity.”
A spokesperson for Unilever released a statement about the court filing. They blamed the independent board for making confidential information public.
“Regrettably, despite repeated attempts to engage the board and follow the correct process, we are disappointed that the confidentiality of an employee career conversation has been made public,” the spokesperson stated. “We hope that the B&J Independent Board will engage as per the original, agreed process.”
Ben & Jerry’s Claims Parent Company Block It From Publicly Supporting Mahmoud Khalil
The company further claimed that Unilever had recently reached new levels of “suppression of Ben & Jerry’s social mission by blocking “without explanation” from making a post expressing support for the Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil.
Khalil is a Palestinian refugee who claims to be a “political prisoner” for condemning Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
In its filing, Ben & Jerry’s also shared the blocked post. “Protect the First Amendment! Free speech and peaceful protests are the lifeblood of our democracy, and student activists have always been at the center of the fight for justice,” the post reads. “Political speech is protected by our constitution, and peaceful civil disobedience should never be the basis for deportation. Protect your right to dissent and take action with the @ACLU.”
Ben & Jerry’s stated that they planned to share a link to an ACLU petition supporting Khalil.
Regarding Stever’s firing, Ben & Jerry’s claimed the reasoning behind Unilever’s proposed removal is his “commitment to Ben & Jerry’s Social Mission” rather than “any genuine concerns regarding his performance history.”
He was fired on Mar. 3.