Ben & Jerry’s has sued its parent company, Unilever, claiming the ice cream retailer’s CEO was fired to stifle the brand’s well-known political activism.
Unilever moved to dismiss chief executive David Stever on March 3, according to documents filed Tuesday night in Manhattan Federal Court.
However, Unilever is not allowed to unilaterally fire Ben & Jerry’s leaders, the ice cream company said. Ben & Jerry’s argued the companies’ 2000 merger agreement meant Unilever leaders had to consult with the Ben & Jerry’s board of directors before removing a CEO.
Ben & Jerry’s first brought legal action against Unilever in November 2024, claiming the parent company was muzzling statements Ben & Jerry’s wanted to release on injustices worldwide. In February, Ben & Jerry’s further complained that Unilever was preventing any criticism of Donald Trump.
Unilever has not publicly responded to the latest accusations. The latest court battle continues company infighting that began in 2021, when Ben & Jerry’s released statements criticizing Israeli attacks in Palestine and attempted to prevent its ice cream from being sold in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Ben & Jerry’s has been known for its outspoken support of social justice initiatives for years. The Vermont-based company, founded by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, has openly backed Black Lives Matter, pro-Palestine groups and other liberal causes.
“Systemic and institutionalized racism are the defining civil rights and social justice issues of our time,” Ben & Jerry’s said in 2016, four years before the police killing of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests.
“We’ve come to understand that to be silent about the violence and threats to the lives and well-being of Black people is to be complicit in that violence and those threats.”