Ben and Jerry’s has accused parent company Unilever of removing its chief executive David Stever over the firm’s political activism.
In a court filing, the ice cream brand alleged that Unilever had violated a merger agreement by trying to silence its “social mission”, advocated by Stever.
“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 with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said, according to multiple reports.
It’s not the first time Ben and Jerry’s, which is vocal on social issues, has accused Unilever of interfering with its political stance.
The relationship between the two has been particularly strained over the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Ben and Jerry’s sued Unilever in 2022 after the consumer giant blocked its attempt to stop selling goods in the West Bank.
Ben and Jerry’s independent board
The lawsuit was brought to the courts by Ben and Jerry’s independent board, which was created in 2000 when the Vermont-founded company was bought by Unilever through a merger agreement.
The board was tasked with protecting the ice cream brand’s values and mission.
Ben and Jerry’s court filing said the decision to oust Mr Stever was made without any consultation, as required in the merger agreement, according to the BBC.
“Unilever … attempted to force the independent board into rubberstamping the decision,” it said.
Chair of the independent board Anuradha Mittal told the Financial Times that Stever had “courageously advanced the company’s social mission and values.”
“What Dave hasn’t done is what Unilever would like him to do, which is to oversee the dismantling of Ben & Jerry’s mission, progressive values and the 2000 merger agreement that has protected Ben & Jerry’s position as a wholly owned autonomous subsidiary,” Mittal said.
Unilever is set to spin off its ice cream arm later this year.
City AM approached Unilever for comment.