Ben & Jerry’s has revealed its chief executive, David Stever, has been “ousted over political activism”.
This allegation came as part of a legal case filed by the ice cream company, claiming Unilever violated a merger mission after it tried to silence Ben &Jerry’s “social mission”.
This comes after Ben & Jerry’s accused their parent company of forcing them to stop publicly criticising US President Donald Trump.
The filing with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York claimed Unilever had on many occasions threatened the ice cream company’s staff, including the CEO, if they did not adhere to Unilever’s attempts to silence their social mission.
Ben & Jerry’s, founded in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, has been known to take a very public stance on societal issues.
In the past it has backed issues such as LGBTQ+, climate change and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Vermont-based company was bought by Unilever in 2000 through a merger agreement that created an independent board entrusted with protecting Ben & Jerry’s values and mission.
The relationship between the two companies has been tense for a while, beginning in 2021 after Ben & Jerry’s said they would stop sales in the West Bank, due to their views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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The frozen goods maker then sued Unilever for selling its business in Israel to its licensee there, which allowed marketing in the West Bank and Israel to continue. That lawsuit was settled in 2022.
In November 2024, Ben & Jerry's took Unilever to court over claims it "silenced" the ice cream brand's support for "Palestinian refugees".
Ben & Jerry's claimed Unilever had threatened to dismantle its board and sue its members over their pro-Palestine stance.
They claimed Unilever had breached the terms of the 2022 settlement - which has remained confidential.
However, it is known that Unilever is required to "respect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry's independent board's primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry's social mission," according to the lawsuit.
Ben & Jerry's has claimed it has been blocked from speaking out in favour of a ceasefire in Gaza, the "safe passage of refugees" from Palestine to the UK, pro-Palestine protests at American universities and a halt in US military aid to Israel.
Its board had separately advocated for the topics, but Ben & Jerry's has said the company itself was silenced.
In January of this year the ice cream brand amended the censorship lawsuit to include the fact that Unilever has suppressed a social media statement mentioning Donald Trump.
They claimed in the complaint that its management and board intended to release a post addressing abortion, climate change, minimum wage, and universal healthcare—issues that face uncertain futures under the Trump administration.
However, Peter ter Kulve, Unilever’s president of the ice cream division, "unilaterally barred Ben & Jerry's from issuing the post because it specifically mentioned 'Donald Trump'."
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This allegation came as part of a legal case filed by the ice cream company, claiming Unilever violated a merger mission after it tried to silence Ben &Jerry’s “social mission”.
This comes after Ben & Jerry’s accused their parent company of forcing them to stop publicly criticising US President Donald Trump.
The filing with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York claimed Unilever had on many occasions threatened the ice cream company’s staff, including the CEO, if they did not adhere to Unilever’s attempts to silence their social mission.
Ben & Jerry’s, founded in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, has been known to take a very public stance on societal issues.
In the past it has backed issues such as LGBTQ+, climate change and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Vermont-based company was bought by Unilever in 2000 through a merger agreement that created an independent board entrusted with protecting Ben & Jerry’s values and mission.
The relationship between the two companies has been tense for a while, beginning in 2021 after Ben & Jerry’s said they would stop sales in the West Bank, due to their views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
MORE LIKE THIS:
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- Pro-Palestine protesters threaten to disrupt one of London’s biggest Christmas events over Barclays sponsorship
The frozen goods maker then sued Unilever for selling its business in Israel to its licensee there, which allowed marketing in the West Bank and Israel to continue. That lawsuit was settled in 2022.
In November 2024, Ben & Jerry's took Unilever to court over claims it "silenced" the ice cream brand's support for "Palestinian refugees".
Ben & Jerry's claimed Unilever had threatened to dismantle its board and sue its members over their pro-Palestine stance.
They claimed Unilever had breached the terms of the 2022 settlement - which has remained confidential.
However, it is known that Unilever is required to "respect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry's independent board's primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry's social mission," according to the lawsuit.
Ben & Jerry's has claimed it has been blocked from speaking out in favour of a ceasefire in Gaza, the "safe passage of refugees" from Palestine to the UK, pro-Palestine protests at American universities and a halt in US military aid to Israel.
Its board had separately advocated for the topics, but Ben & Jerry's has said the company itself was silenced.
In January of this year the ice cream brand amended the censorship lawsuit to include the fact that Unilever has suppressed a social media statement mentioning Donald Trump.
They claimed in the complaint that its management and board intended to release a post addressing abortion, climate change, minimum wage, and universal healthcare—issues that face uncertain futures under the Trump administration.
However, Peter ter Kulve, Unilever’s president of the ice cream division, "unilaterally barred Ben & Jerry's from issuing the post because it specifically mentioned 'Donald Trump'."
Find Out More...