Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000. The marriage of the London-based company and the progressive ice cream brand hasn’t been a happy one lately.
NEW YORK โ Ben & Jerryโs says its CEO was unlawfully removed by its parent company, Unilever, in retaliation for the ice cream makerโsย social and political activism.
In a federal court filing late Tuesday, Ben & Jerryโs said Unilever informed its board on March 3 that it was removing and replacing Ben & Jerryโs CEO David Stever. Ben & Jerryโs said that violated its merger agreement with Unilever, which states that any decisions regarding a CEOโs removal must come after a consultation with an advisory committee from Ben & Jerryโs board.
The Associated Press left a message seeking comment withย London-based Unilever on Wednesday.
Unilever acquired Ben & Jerryโs in 2000 for $326 million. At the time, Ben & Jerryโs said the partnership would help theย progressive Vermont-based ice cream company expand its social mission.
But lately, the marriage hasnโt been a happy one. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it wouldย stop serving Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem. The following year, Unileverย sold its Israeli business to a local company that said it would sell Ben & Jerry’s under its Hebrew and Arabic name throughout Israel and the West Bank.
Last May, Unilever said it was planning to spin off its ice cream business โ including Ben & Jerry’s โ by the end of 2025 as part of a larger restructuring. Unilever also owns personal hygiene brands like Dove soap and food brands like Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
But the acrimony continued. In November, Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever in federal court in New York, accusing it of silencing Ben & Jerry’s statements in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.
In its complaint, Ben & Jerry’s said Unilever also refused to let the company release a social media post that identified issues it believed would be challenged during President Donald Trump’s second term, including minimum wages, universal health care, abortion and climate change.
Tuesday’s filing was an amendment to that lawsuit.
