Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry accused the parent company of firing the CEO of supporting the brand’s progressive politics.
On Tuesday, the Vermont-based brand filed an amended complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging that Unilever “has repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry staff if they did not follow Unilever’s efforts to silence its social mission.”
According to the complaint, Unilever tracked and deleted Stever as CEO on March 3, allegedly breached the contract during the 2000 merger.
Ben & Jerry also accused the brand of trying to curb its social mission in several instances, including preventing the brand from commemorating Black History Month on social media and preventing the Palestinian activist and the Trump administration from sharing it online with Mahmoud Khalil, who calls for the civil rights remark to say that the civil rights are shunning civil rights with its civil rights remarks.
Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s and Stever did not immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment Wednesday. According to NBC News, Unilever is expected to file a motion for rejection, according to a letter filed in court.
These accusations are the latest point of competition between Ben & Jerry and Unilever. The amended application on Tuesday is part of a lawsuit first filed by ice cream makers against their parent company in November, alleging that Unilever silenced public criticism of the “ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza” amid the Israel-Hamas War.
Ben & Jerry’s previously accused Unilever of bypassing the board of directors with a business decision. In 2022, the brand sued the parent meeting to sell its Israeli business to local licensees after Ben & Jerry announced its decision to effectively avoid boycotts after it announced its decision to halt its products in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. In that case, the federal judge ruled Ben & Jerry’s opposition.
