Ben & Jerry’s accused his parent company Unilever of having deleted his CEO because of his support for the political activism of the company, according to a federal judicial file of Tuesday.
The ice cream company, known for its liberal and pro-Palestinian positions, affirmed that Unilever informed the board of directors on March 3 that it planned to withdraw and replace CEO David Stever without the approval of the Advisory Council. The law, the complaints of Ben & Jerry, goes against the acquisition agreement signed in 2000.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]“Unilever has repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry staff, including CEO David Stever, if they do not comply with Unilever’s efforts to silence the social mission,” said the court of the court. Ben & Jerry did not respond to the request for Time comments.
The ice cream company filed a complaint against Unilever in November in November linked to the alleged censorship by Unilever of their political values.
“In accordance with the terms of the acquisition agreement, the decisions on the appointment, remuneration and deletion of the CEO of Ben & Jerry will be taken by Unilever after a consultation and a discussion of good faith with the independent B & J Council,” said Unilever Time in a statement sent by email. “Unfortunately, despite repeated attempts to start the board of directors and follow the correct process, we are disappointed that the confidentiality of a professional conversation of employees has been made public. We hope that the B&J independent Board will be committed in accordance with the original agreed process. ”
Here’s what you need to know.
Ben & Jerry’s has a story of political activism
Since the start of the company in 1978, Ben & Jerry’s has been an ardent defender of social justice initiatives, in favor of LGBTQ +rights, fair trade practices and against racism. One of the first incursions of the company in political activism occurred when the company published a declaration in 1989 against the recombinant bovine growth hormone (RBGH), due to its potential impact on family farming and “public confidence in the coarseness of dairy products”, said the ice cream in its page.
The ice cream giant has also participated in various campaigns, arguing for the re -authorization of the law on voting rights, reform policies for the financing of the campaigns and the life of Black Lives.
However, the brand was continuously called non -partisan. “We do not support candidates or political parties and we do not contribute to candidates, parties or super pacs, and we have never done so. It is clear to us that representatives elected to government are supposed to represent people, not companies, ”says their website.
How we got here
In 2000, Ben & Jerry’s became a subsidiary of Unilever, which has other well -known ice cream companies such as Wall’s and Magnum. Under the acquisition, the food company maintains an independent board of directors in order to maintain its own product quality and its social mission.
While Ben & Jerry’s made the headlines for their support for the Palestinians after the start of the War of Israel-Hamas, the brand had already expressed such beliefs. In 2021, the company announced in a press release that it would no longer sell ice cream in the “occupied Palestinian territory”, which said that it would be incompatible with their values.
“We have a long -standing partnership with our licensee, which manufactures Ben & Jerry ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. We worked to change this, and we therefore informed our licensee that we would not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year,” said the press release. “Although Ben & Jerry is no longer sold in the opt, we will stay in Israel thanks to a different arrangement. We will share an update on this subject as soon as we are ready.”
The decision to publish a declaration which mentioned the continuation of sales of the product in Israel was against the wishes of the Council, previously reported NBC News. “I am saddened by deception,” said Anuradha Mittal, president of the independent council of the company, in NBC. “It is not Israel. It is the violation of the acquisition agreement that maintained the soul of the company. I cannot stop thinking that this is what is happening when you have a painting with all the women and people of color that have pushed to do the right thing. ”
In November 2024, Ben & Jerry filed a complaint against Unilever because of their alleged threats of censorship. The initial complaint alleys that Unilengrait tried to dismantle the board of directors and prevent it from calling a cease-fire in Gaza, or the end of American military aid in Israel. More recently, the modified complaint claims that Unilever refused to authorize Ben & Jerry’s to publish their support for Mahmoud Khalil, the holder of the green card and pro-Palestinian activist who is currently detained by ICE.
Unilever has filed a request for rejection of the complaint, saying that it did not want to seem “to take sides in the Gaza conflict and / or associate with organizations that supported Hamas against Israel and its kidnapping of hundreds of hostages and made highly dividing comments on Israel.”
What happens next?
We do not know what effect the current trial will have on the company, but Unilever announced in May 2024 that it would turn its ice cream activities by the end of 2025.
A hearing date for an audience on the complaint has not yet been set.
